


Music For The Soul(mate)

by MsDamia, tiziano



Series: Music for the Soul(mate) [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Sherlock (TV), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies), X-Men (Movies)
Genre: All the pop culture references, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe Theories, BAMF Darcy Lewis, Big Brother Thor, Comedy, Crossover, Darcy adopts X-kids, Drama, Dramedy, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Music, Mutant!Darcy, Pantsless Erik, Platypuses, Romance, Soulmate AU, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Suprise Soulmates!, Tony gets paternal, What can we call Bucky besides his name? anything we want, abuse of tags, apparently darcy doesnt speak real english, blatant tropes, christmas vacation references, hedgehogs used in questionable manners, kilts are cool, mentions of molestation, minor torture references, sad past, science(!), sometimes you just need a vacation, super family, trigger warning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-14
Updated: 2017-12-01
Packaged: 2018-02-13 02:02:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 56
Words: 91,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2132889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsDamia/pseuds/MsDamia, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiziano/pseuds/tiziano
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Drabbles inspired by amusewithaview's Soulmate AU and whatever songs are popping up on my playlist.</p><p>(Tags will be updated per chapter as we are kind of flying by the seat of our pants, here.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fighting For Nothing - Meg & Dia

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [write love on my skin](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1835587) by [amusewithaview](https://archiveofourown.org/users/amusewithaview/pseuds/amusewithaview). 



Political science was awesome in theory, but in practice it involved politicians and the majority of them were assholes. It was problematic. She'd finally decided to pack it in and head North to New York and Jane, who now worked at Stark Industries and was in dire need of a lab manager. She had all these nifty new interns and helpers for the science part of it, but it was the organization and making Jane take breaks part that was confusing everyone. 

Simple, right? Sure, unless it happens to be the day Captain America decides to wage war against SHIELD and fuck up everyone elses day in the process. There was no getting out of DC, so instead she glued herself to the coffee shop near the Triskellion and tried to listen for gossip. Thor loved the Red, White, and Blue Dude, no way he was evil; well, actually, Thor loved Loki ... so there was that. 

The brunette was hyped up on coffee and stress related adrenaline when the explosions started. Then the helicarriers started to rise. As in more than one. As in all at once. People were fleeing the building, civilians were panicking, people were chasing those trying to flee. Apparently the good Captain was starting a civil war inside of SHIELD. Well, she supposed America kind of had a history with that kind of behavior. 

Darcy finished her coffee and decided to do what she did best at that point; she ran toward the danger. Mostly because smoke was starting to billow and there were people like her in that building, support staff who were simply in it for the paycheck. With the chaos going on around her it wasn't a surprise she got in without argument. She ran for the fire, wondering for a moment why alarms weren't going off. 

"This way!" She shouted, waving her hands and pointing at the glass doors. She helped a gaggle of support staff (you could tell because none of them had gun callouses on their hands and all of them were beyond freaked out.) Out to the doors, pushing injured people into the hands of the uninjured and pointing to the coffee shop across the way. It was pretty much all she was capable of doing at the moment, so she did it.

Turning to see if there was anyone straggling along behind, a gun was put to her temple. What? How? Her brain tripped on the scattered thoughts and she raised her hands slowly. It was pretty obvious she wasn't an agent. She was wearing black high top converse with a puffy paint Mew-Mew on the side and leggings. Shield agents did not wear leggings. They wore lycra bodysuits. 

"Hail Hydra," the man with the gun proclaimed.

"I prefer good old Uncle Sam." Another voice replied. The gun moved away from her head and Darcy dove to the side, rolling across the floor and up to her knees with the practice of one used to diving from scientists who thought they could drive. There was a reason she'd taken over that particular chore. 

She blinked, eyes travelling up long legs and a lean body. He was wearing goggles on the top of his head and his smile was sweet and boyish. Her gaze turned to the man on the ground not far from her. Her savior had shot him and she wasn't fast enough to avoid the blood. It was incredibly uncomfortable but, plus side, she was alive. 

"If I didn't have another dudes blood all over me I'd throw myself at you." She told him, grabbing his proffered hand so she could climb to her feet. The guys eyes widened and he clutched her hand a little harder, apparently unconcerned by how grimy she now was. 

"If we weren't in the middle of an urban war zone I'd let you." He replied, his dark eyes raking over down her oversized sweater and now holey leggings. A glance showed that her knees were bleeding. Well, she was mostly sure that it was her blood. She would be freaking out over the dead guy later. Her eyes went back to the man in front of her, her Soulmate, and pulled the neck of her sweater down so he could see his words circle her neck and trail across her shoulder. 

"I run towards danger and adrenaline gives me situationally innapropriate urges." She informed him, wide eyed and obviously starting to go into shock. She'd never had a dead guys blood on her before.

"You're gonna be trouble," he informed her, turning her around and pushing her gently toward the doors. 

"Usually," she agreed. "I'm Darcy." She offered, pausing inside the door to look back at him. 

"I'm Sam." He put a quick hand behind her neck and pulled her close to press a kiss to her forehead. 

"Last name Lewis. Have fun heroing, don't get dead." She pulled him down and kissed him hard on the lips before shoving him away and taking off for the coffee shop. Sam watched for a moment before turning and heading back upstairs to see what other damage might need doing before his new friend Steve was done destroying SHIELD.


	2. Love Runs Out by OneRepublic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy Lewis/Clint Barton

Darcy had pretty much always been amused by her Soulmark. With the words "Only in my better dreams," written in neat cursive across her collarbones, she had been ready for her soulmate for most of her life. As a small child she imagined he would be a Disney prince, ready to sweep her off her feet so they could live happily ever after. In her teens she had wanted someone to realize how amazing she was and take her away from the mean girls of high school who gave her hell for having curves. In college she contemplated that he might be a she and went through a phase to make sure she would good enough for them. Now, she just wanted someone she could talk to about all that crazy shit in her life. 

The words were a response, so she probably spoke first. It was logical, after all, and she'd been working with Jane for so long now she could do logic in her sleep. Science(!) Required quite a bit of it after all. 

Science(!) with Jane was fun. When she moved to New York with Thor after the London Incidents (plural, yes, Elves and Ian the Intern, 2.) And dragged Darcy along with her, there had been new science. Science(!) with Tony was insanity and possible explosions. Science(!) with Bruce was calm, because if it wasn't he kicked you out of the lab. Science(!) With Erik was chaotic and wholly unexpected because he was off his rocker and refused to wear pants. Yes, there were now kilts in the office, but if someone made a snarky comment, science was then done in the nude. She was contemplating making a pants jar. Every time someone dissed the kilt they had to put in five bucks. 

Today, sadly, Erik's chaos had met Tony's explosives and badness had occurred. 

"Lady Darcy?" Thor was in front of her and then she was floating. Were they flying?

"She hit her head," Jane was wringing her bony fingers and talking to a man in a black vest with close cropped blond hair and clear gray eyes. He was was shining a light in her eyes, probably doing triage. First aid? First aid was less scary ... Darcy focused on him for a moment, the jawline was impressive. 

"Hello salty goodness, anyone ever offer to trace your muscles with their tongue?" She grinned up at him as his eyebrows quirked up. 

"Only in my better dreams." He responded, clicking off his flashlight and turning to Jane.

"I'd say that's her head injury talking, but it would be a lie." Jane informed him, a fond smile of exasperation on her face. 

"Possible concussion, she needs medical. I'll take her up." He informed Jane, a smile of his own on his lips. 

"You don't have to do that," Jane started, she stopped when he picked up her assistant in his arms and stood, easily holding the weight of her curvy friend. 

"Sure I do, that's what soulmates are for, right?" He asked, still grinning. He whistled a jaunty tune as Darcy tossed an arm around his neck and informed him she would be calling him Mine from now on. 

"The Lady Darcy is well matched to the warrior Hawkeye." Thor offered, tossing an arm across his beloved's shoulders. 

"So long as he remembers she was mine first." Jane responded, tucking herself tighter to her own Soulmate and ignoring his chuckles.


	3. Nobody's In Love by 2am Club

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to up the rating for this one!

The party was boring. So boring Darcy was on her fourth glass of champagne in the last half hour. She had been hoping for old school Tony shenanigans and instead she'd gotten a Pepper Party, which, while good for business (or charity) wasn't always conducive to fun. She dropped her glass off with a passing waiter and sighed heavily. Why the hell had she crashed the party? What had she been thinking, exactly? Wait, she was Darcy, action in the moment. It had sounded like such a good idea, too.

She mingled, slipping through the crowd with her chin lifted and her curls falling artfully down her back, dark against the midnight blue of her gown. Her skin was pale as porcelain giving her a fragile air, even as her brightly painted lips promised wickedness to match the sparkle in her eyes. Her fingers plucked a full champagne glass from a passing waiter as she caught a familiar man’s eye from across the ballroom. She crossed through the center of the dance floor, allowing people far more graceful than herself to part before her. She always did like to make a splash.

Her stride was sure, her hips rolling seductively as she held those blue eyes with her own, reveling in the smirk spreading across his full lips. Oh yeah, he wanted her. She wasn't drunk enough to miss the sweeping gaze over her figure, the way his eyes paused appreciatively on her hips before they rose to her breasts and then stopped on her lips. She smiled widely, slowly getting into his personal space to close her fingers around his tie and pull him to his feet. He could have stopped her, but he didn't. She couldn’t blame him, though, she was rocking her dress.

She turned, pulling the tie over her shoulder so he was forced to walk directly behind her as she towed him down the hall, her mind on one thing, and one thing alone. It was a party, time to go make Tony proud.

"Lewis?" Someone was calling her name, someone with a familiar voice. She waved the hand with the glass in it, letting whoever it was know she heard and wasn't interested in them at the moment. She downed the last of the golden liquid and dropped it on a table, dragging the man behind her into the ladies room. They were silent as she checked the three stalls, empty, and then locked the doors. 

He was watching her, long hair pulled back behind his head as he loosened the tie around his neck. She'd seen him around the tower, of course, but she'd never spoken to him, much less been in the same room with him for more than a few seconds. She'd smiled, she was friendly, and then she'd taken off to do whatever she'd been in the middle of. The tie was dropped to the ground and Darcy reached around to get the zipper under her arm and slowly drag it down her body. His jacket was tossed onto the pink velvet fainting couch in the corner, his shirt soon falling. 

They wouldn't be using that. She was drunk and all she wanted was some god damned gratification with a ridiculously good looking man, this one got extra kudos for being a former villain and kind of a cyborg. Seriously, how hot was that arm? She launched herself at him, hands behind his neck as he gamely put his own on her ass and lifted her high enough to wrap her legs around his waist. 

Oh yeah, dirty, sloppy bathroom sex. It was one of her favorite fantasies, a stranger taking her on a bathroom sink, and this place had the added bonus of not being a sketchy bathroom with cracks in the wall and odd stains on the floor. Once she was resting comfortably (alright, that might have been stretching the truth a bit,) on the edge of the marble sink his hands started roving all over her body, starting at her neck and moving south. She was glad she'd worn the good lingerie tonight, baby blue and lacy, garters and bra and underwear that ... yep that wasn't salvageable. He had shredded it with his shiny arm, but it was more of a turn on than she ever would have thought. Damn. 

A shuddered gasp was all he got when his fingers entered her, her eyes popping wide. Pale fingers yanked his hairband out so that she could yank his head back and nip at the taller brunette's throat sharply before soothing it with her tongue. Apparently he enjoyed that as much as she enjoyed the panty ripping, because his fingers were moving under her bra and he was poised at her entrance. When the hell had he lost his pants? Nevermind, Darcy didn't need to worry about that, though she probably should have remembered the condoms in her purse. Not important, nothing was important right now. Nothing except the way he was moving against her. He pulled her forward, trying to make her flush against him and holding most of her weight. 

Neither of them lasted long. Darcy, while loud and abrasive in her daily life, was surprisingly quiet during sex. Lots of gasps and shudders, tiny little moans and stifled keening. He was intoxicated by it. Her heels dug sharply into the back of his thighs as her body went rigid and she gave one of those soft, needy noises. The heels were what did it for him, she still had on those thigh highs and those four inch heels, it was wanton and he'd always been one to gain pleasure from another's uncontrollable lust. She half collapsed against his chest as he pulled her face back up to his for wet, sloppy, thank you kiss. 

"This," the soldier told her, slightly out of breath and smiling down as she tilted her face up to stare at him with dazed eyes. "Is the best party Stark has thrown to date." He declared, pressing another kiss to her lips as her eyebrows rose to her hairline. 

"I should be mad since you're why I have Tony's name on my ass, but I'd much rather take you home for round two." Darcy declared a moment later. The man stared down at her for a moment before he started laughing, pulling back and turning so she could see the words trailing down his spine. He pulled a couple hand towels and passed them to her so they could get themselves in some semblance of order. 

"Round two can wait, I think I want to dance with my girl." He informed her, pressing a kiss to her temple. She cocked an eyebrow, tossing the towels in the bin and walking over to her dress, giving exactly zero shits that she would be leaving the bathroom sans her panties. Her dress was floor length, no one would know except herself and Bucky. Well, probably Tony as well, he had a sixth sense about that kind of thing. 

"First off, I prefer dance as a euphemism for sex. Secondly, I belong to no one but myself. Welcome to the land of feminism, dude, we are loud and proud." Darcy told him, zipping up the dress and turning to watch him shrug back on his jacket. 

"Sexually compatible and more than willing to speak your mind, I think this is the start of something fun." The man known as Winter Soldier commented, pulling the tie around his neck. Darcy walked up and undid the first few buttons of his shirt, leaving the tie loose. 

"If I'm going to look debauched, so are you." Darcy informed him, her blue eyes sparkling wickedly as she shook out her now wild hair. 

"Bucky Barnes." He smiled down at her. 

"Darcy Lewis. Let's go set some tongues to wagging." She grabbed his hand, this time, to tow him behind her.

"Trust me, mine will be." Bucky informed her, his eyes sweeping down her back to watch the sway of her hips. Her grin widened as she towed him straight to the dance floor. One dance, she could give him one dance. Then he'd be needing to give her more orgasms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are welcome as hopefully they will urge msdamia to heal faster. -tiziano


	4. Castle of Glass by Linkin Park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kidnapping, rescuers, self doubt, and cartoons.

She was going to die. She knew it. She had been here three days and no one had come. Not Thor, not Tony, not Bruce. She was going to die and poor Jane was going to blame herself, because she was positive Darcy could have been happy anywhere else in the world. Jane just didn't understand that Darcy had chosen knowledge. Sure, it was because of science, but she wasn't science driven. She was knowledge driven. She wanted to know the truth, it was why she'd settled on political science, she could learn enough that she could have access to truths the public wasn't ready for. So really, Darcy being here was Darcy's fault. 

Three days ago she'd been picked up by Hydra. She'd been full of her usual piss and vinegar, refusing to give in to the terror coursing through her body. She'd tazed two of them, hit her panic button and promptly been knocked out for her efforts. She wasn't a fighter, she was a lab manager and genius wrangler, the most dangerous thing about her was her tongue. She had been positive that Thor would rescue her on the first day. The second day they'd moved her and she'd been a little nervous. Day three, after ... questioning ... she was starting to lose hope. She was not a fighter. She was also, apparently, the weak link in the tower. 

She hadn't given them the information they wanted, but she'd quickly realized she wouldn't be able to hold out forever. She wasn't an agent, she was a firecracker! Good with snappy comebacks and arch looks, she was Jane’s girl friday, not a super spy. She was just so close to so many that she knew personal information about everyone in the tower. Apparently she was good at observing others and remembering the little things that made them happy. 

Happiness was where weaknesses slunk in and set up camp. Natasha had explained it to her once. It was why the woman didn’t smile or interact with anyone she didn’t deem able to take care of themselves. It seemed a sad, lonely existence, and so Darcy had brought it upon herself to try and make the woman smile anyhow. It was a challenge, and a fun (if vaguely scary) one at that. The redhead loved snickerdoodles, hard cider, and would watch any movie involving decent dance numbers. 

They wanted an in for the tower. A way to get everyone off their game. They wanted Darcy to tell them how to disrupt their lives and distract them enough to make a wrong move. They wanted the science and the power the Avengers Tower housed and the Avengers themselves protected. Darcy could give them all of it, but not yet. She could hold out a little longer. Just one more hour. If she said it every five minutes, that meant a whole hour never really came, right? Because she’d be starting over every time she repeated it to herself. Flawed logic for the win!

Seriously, though, if they did the waterboarding again, she might crack like a really pathetic egg. She was close to losing it the first time. 

A whisper of sound from the cell door had the curvy brunette turning her head to stare hard. They came to get her in groups of four. One to open the doors, two to drag her since her left leg was probably broken, and one to be menacing at her back just because they were assholes like that. The soft clinks followed by the click of a lock implied that whoever was at her door was _not_ Hydra and therefor might be her rescuer. Or they were another captive and just much better at rescuing themselves than she was, but somehow had gotten lost looking for a way out. 

It could happen. 

The door creaked open and a man with long, shaggy hair crept in, catching her gaze and holding a finger to his lips. He lifted a hand (it was silver, how nifty was that?) and clicked a button over his ear. His lips moved, but she couldn’t hear what he said. She stayed silent, even as he came to her side and did a perfunctory search for … well she wasn’t sure what he was searching for, actually. Traps? That was it, he was searching her like Natasha had searched the bench with the forgotten purse on it in the lobby. Awesome. She was a forgotten purse and possible bomb threat. She supposed it was better than kidnapping and torture victim. Well hey, she was moving up in the world!

She hissed in pain when he got down to her ankle, her foot still not quite angled properly. He didn’t say a word to her, instead lifting his finger to whisper into the earpiece he was wearing, and the lifting her into his arms like she was some kind of child. She didn’t argue, just wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. She didn’t know who he was, okay that wasn’t true, she was pretty sure she knew who he was, she just hadn’t ever met him and couldn’t really be sure since he was wearing that crazy face mask that hid his nose and mouth and jaw. It could just be a really good disguise. It was a testament to how weak willed she was that she just let him take her, it could have been a trick. But he was dressed like Steve’s pre-ice buddy, so she was willing to give it a shot. What was the worst that could happen, right? 

Turns out he wasn’t a bad guy. Go, her! He carried her down three corridors and the snap of a bowstring had her opening her eyes and looking in that direction. Clint was there, not looking at them, his face impassive and the guards who had wandered this direction skewered at the other end of the hall. He glanced back for a moment, caught her eye and gave her a reassuring grin which only brought tears to her eyes. He did the guy thing and looked stricken and slightly panicked for a moment, but they were still moving and he wasn’t in sight much longer. 

The silence was eerie, she didn’t like it. She wanted to babble so she could fill the silence with noise and feel somehow comforted, but she was afraid the Winter Soldier might put her down for disobeying him. He totally looked the type. To be fair, though, Natasha looked the type too, and Darcy mostly just sassed her these days. 

The girl decided to focus on the man carrying her, instead of the creepy silence. All she could see were his eyes, a light blue almost teal. Widespread eyes, high forehead, soft hair. It was falling over her hands behind his neck and she almost wanted to pet it, to focus on something that wasn’t the pain in her leg or the silence which could be broken at any moment by explosions or yelling or gun shots. Also, best not to think about what her hair looked like. She sweat, tears, the salt water they’d used to half drown her, the sick she’d gotten in it from coughing all of it up, the dirt from the cell, the grime from the street they’d nabbed her from … she really hoped the hospital they sent her to didn’t just lop it all off and tell her it would grow back. It would take years to grow back. She liked her hair. It was the only part of her she didn’t get random bouts of self consciousness over. 

Her dark blue eyes went back to look at the Winter Soldier. It felt like they’d been walking for hours, but he showed no sign of tiring. Well, that and it had probably been less than four minutes so far. All her internal rambling was getting to her head. His eyes darted down to catch her looking at him. She continued to look, curious. Since she couldn’t see most of his face, she didn’t know if he reacted or not. His eyebrows didn’t move, his forehead didn’t wrinkle, and he moved his gaze ahead after a brief moment. 

They hit open air shortly thereafter, Darcy was laid out in the quinjet for a waiting Bruce Banner, and then he was gone. Moments later came the gunshots and explosions and alarms. Apparently the Avengers were less happy with Hydra than usual. Bruce was saying something, apologizing for something, and then her vision faded to white. 

Darcy woke up with a numb leg, nearby beeping, and the odd buzz she got from morphine. A calloused hand on her forehead made her eyes turn (slowly, what the hell was wrong with her) to travel up the arm. There was Thor, smiling gently down at her as he smoothed back her hair. Jane was curled up like a cat on a chair which looked far too comfortable to be standard hospital issue. 

“My Lady Darcy, it is good to have you back with us.” Thor rumbled, his voice hushed so he would not bother Jane. 

“I knew you guys would rescue me.” She told him, her lips spreading into a grin. The grin turned into a panicked grimace as he hands shot to her head, feeling for her hair. Had they cut it off? Hospitals always cut it off rather than dealing with it! She had one vanity, damn it, and she deserved to keep it! 

“Calm yourself,” Thor pushed her arms back to her side, his voice soothing. “You are at the tower, Tony’s personal physicians have been caring for you, you are safe.” 

“But my hair …” She whimpered, staring up at him with dazed blue eyes. Thor looked confused, glancing over his shoulder at the sleeping scientist. He did that a lot, Jane was always willing to patiently explain away all of Darcy’s eccentricities. 

“Is lovely …” He looked back at Darcy, his tone of voice questioning. He obviously hoped that was the correct answer. Instead Darcy burst into tears. It wasn’t even the hair, really. It was just being back at the tower, safe. They had found her and rescued her before she betrayed them. Guilt that she was pretty sure she would have betrayed them at some point. She was exhausted from everything she’d gone through and not quite sure this wasn’t a dream. Her crying woke up Jane, and the scientist was bullying Thor out of her way so that she could wipe away Darcy’s tears with her thumbs and tell her not to cry. 

“There now, that’s better.” Jane told her after the tears had subsided. 

“I missed you.” Darcy declared, a crooked smile on her face. Jane frowned fiercely, noting the cracks in her friends lip and the puffy bit where it was swollen. 

“Good. Don’t get kidnapped again. I don’t like it.” Jane told her, all the woman’s emotions piling up and clogging her mouth filter. She always sounded short and unfeeling when she was emotional, it was just one of those Jane things Darcy had come to love. 

“I didn’t like it either.” Darcy confessed, her eyes drooping shut once more. 

It would be six hours before Darcy woke up again and discovered that Jane and Natasha had washed her hair and it was not cut off. It would take five days before Darcy was out of her hospital room (32nd floor, restricted access, all junk food confiscated before it could be consumed.) and she could get back to her own little apartment upstairs. It took three hours blasting music and reminding herself she was not alone to migrate from her apartment to the common areas. She ensconced herself on the couch, her crutches on the floor and her foot propped up on pillows per the doctors orders. 

“JARVIS, cue up some Phineas and Ferb, would you?” She asked, shifting to get comfortable on the overstuffed monstrosity of a couch. 

“Of course, Ms. Lewis.” JARVIS agreed easily, the huge tv turning on and the cartoon starting. She wasn’t sure how many episodes she watched before she fell asleep, but when she opened her eyes there was a man sitting in an armchair, watching the cartoon with faint curiosity. His long hair was pulled back in a lazy loop and he was wearing loose sweat pants and a superman t-shirt Darcy knew for a fact was Steve’s (she had totally bought it for him as a gag gift and been pleasantly surprised when he wore it). His profile was nice, very rugged and slightly stubbled. So this was Bucky Barnes, her rescuer. Well, technically the whole team was in on it and Jane was still miffed she couldn’t even be on the plane, but he was the one who broke into her cell to carry her out of the building. 

“Could you imagine if every scientist in the world put their brains to use making toys?” Darcy asked, smiling softly at the television. 

“In my experience most don’t want to create the weapons, it’s just a sad side effect.” Bucky responded immediately, still entranced by the television. Darcy’s eyes widened a touch, her hand flying to her thigh where those words spiraled around the pale flesh. She could see the moment her words sunk into the man’s brain, his entire body went rigid and he turned to face her with those pale eyes of his. His jaw was firm, the cleft in his chin was adorable, and his mouth was wide enough to give him a sultry look even when he was being sullen. No wonder all the girls flocked to him back in the day. 

“Maybe we should just give them all pet platypuses for protection.” She offered after a moment, not really sure what else to say. He blinked at her, obviously thrown by the comment, but it must have clicked a moment later because that mouth of his was lifting in a smirk. 

“You do realize they are venomous?” He asked, choosing to go with it. He sort of remembered flirting. It had been easy when he had been James. 

“Only the males and only during mating season, we’ll just have them clipped and it will be fine.” Darcy propped herself up on her elbows so she could see him better, deciding she was okay flirting with this man who had saved her and was kind of sort of definitely her soulmate. 

“A platypus fan, interesting.” Bucky replied, grinning a bit shyly as she blushed. 

“I feel bad for them, their little bodies got so confused during evolution they just kind of tried to do everything.” She was making odd hand motions, like petting something in the air. Bucky cocked his head to the side and stared for a moment. 

“I’m not sure I understand.” He replied after a moment of her staring at him beseechingly. 

“Overachievers need love too.” She half pouted as she made the declaration. Bucky let out a rusty bark of laughter as Steve and Natasha wandered into the room together. 

“You know what, we can’t be soulmates if you can’t respect the platypus.” Darcy informed the still grinning man. He raised an unimpressed eyebrow as Steve and Natasha looked at each other with varying degrees of surprise (faint, almost negligible for Natasha and obvious for Steve).


	5. One Week by Barenaked Ladies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> London shenanigans with geniuses and space elves!

Darcy was running fast as she could to set up the last stupid piece of Jane’s stupid-smart plan to save the fucking universe tree, starting with Earth, and was freaking out because Ian had disappeared on her. He'd run away like a little child, what the hell? Who did that!? She shrieked wordlessly trying to stand contraption up. They needed triangulation, shit, she could do that! It was basic eighth grade geometry, she knew this. She had it. It fell over again. She didn’t have it. 

A pair of civilians, too stupid to live, apparently, were nearby shouting at one another. She walked up and took the laptop bag from one of them, yanking it right from his fingers and then running back to wedge it between a couple large pieces of rubble. There! Now the machine was staying upright! She flipped the little switch and backed up a step. 

"You are impeding an exceedingly important investigation.” A tall man with a deep baritone voice and wicked curls was standing beside her, frowning. She had thought for years she would be caught breaking the law by her soul mate, someone who must have been a cop of some sort. Then she’d changed it to Agent of some sort, because come on, this was kind of her life. She had planned all kinds of witty retorts for when she met him, all of them slipped her mind at the moment, though. 

"You are about to get slaughtered by space elves." Darcy announced instead, pointing at the ship coming through. The other man with her mate let out a strangled gasp, obviously shocked, her mate raised his eyebrows and blinked.

“Well, that’s new.” He announced, taking two steps forward. 

“Of course I get the one going toward the danger.” Darcy muttered. She grabbed him by the hand and towed him after her, catching him by surprise. He was staring at her hand in a vaguely offended manner, but she was boss at ignoring those looks.

“I’m John, that’s Sherlock, what the hell is going on?” The friend demanded, deciding to go with her. There was light tugging against her grip, but Darcy ignored it. She was pretty sure he would do the stupid puppy thing and run at the headlights coming toward him and Jane was about to open portals to who the hell knew where. 

“I’m Darcy, we’re trying to save the universe. Thor is the one with the hammer, you might remember him from the battle of New York? Yeah, alien prince, has the hots for my boss lady though, so he came back but there are space elves who hate him and his planet and technically they are protecting our planet on paper, it’s a political thing apparently, and so the emo space elves are attacking us to start a war which will hopefully kill all life but their own and something about darkness for a thousand years or something. So we are stopping it.” Darcy looked from John to Sherlock and back again. “Any questions.”

“Surprisingly, yes.” John retorted after a beat of silence, his tone one of mock wonder. “But it can wait until after you’re done.” 

“Awesome. Stay here, don’t get dead, be back soonish.” Darcy informed them, pointing a finger from one face to another. She climbed up the debris and made for Jane, not planning, just doing what needed to be done like the crazy ass she was. 

John stared at Sherlock as Sherlock watched the brunette American girl climb the bits of broken building and street. Blue eyes turned toward John, who was grinning rather smugly. 

“What?” Sherlock demanded. 

“Nothing.” John shrugged and rocked on his heels. 

“It’s not nothing, you are being overbearingly superior about something you think I have missed.” Sherlock raked his gaze over his friend and erstwhile partner before glancing back at the young woman. 

“Just thinking Karma must be real after all.” John replied, grinning more widely as Sherlock glared over at him. 

“I suppose we’ll have to teach her English.” Sherlock said a moment later, a put upon sigh in his voice. 

“I think I’d like to see you try.” John agreed a moment later, not bothering to hold back his smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am getting better and writing! Thanks to those who wished me speedy recovery. I was bit by a hobo spider while camping and got blood poisoning and an incredibly ferocious infection. Apparently they are toxic. Sadly, I did not receive awesome powers for my troubles. I feel a bit put out by that.
> 
> Tiz is out sick this time, but hopefully its just a little thing. -- MsDamia


	6. Problem by Natalia Kills

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is how a shameless Darcy met each of the Avengers, including her soulmate.

The first time Darcy met Thor, she tazed him. 

The first time Darcy met Clint, she threw a stapler at his head. 

The first time she met Natasha she was caught getting eaten out in a cheesy bar and hadn’t realized she’d been tailed due to space elves or that Natasha had thought they had spent enough time in a questionable bathroom. Thankfully, Tash was a bro and, upon realizing what was going on, had closed the bathroom door and guarded it until she was finished. 

When Darcy met Tony she told him to keep his hands to himself. When he didn’t and started trying to fiddle with one of Jane’s machines, she slapped the back of his hand with a ruler. A metal ruler. She will never regret this. 

When Darcy first met Bruce it was because she was having elevator sex with a chemistry nerd who had attempted to make an equation to explain his lust for her. She had thought it was adorable and decided to reward his attempt at a pickup line. It was a good start. When the door opened (because who had time to actually get to her rooms?) Bruce had turned very red and muttered something about catching the next one. 

When Darcy met Steve she was very drunk and tried to explain American Pie to him. The entire plot. When he continued to get more and more confused she simply shrugged, told him she’d bake him an Apple Pie so he could test drive it and tell her what he thought. She had also slapped his ass on her way out of the room. 

All of this having been explained, it should be no surprise when she met her soulmate, who was basically an Avenger, he just hadn’t signed the paperwork yet, it went along a similar vein to the rest of her meetings with Avengers. 

Darcy shrieked as she came, her head thrown back and her curls slapping against the pants the legal aid was still wearing. The door slammed open and her head whipped to the side, messy curls billowing around her like a scene from a really bad porn. She raised an inquisitive eyebrow, lifting a hand to swipe one of the curls away from her eye.

He was tall, slender, well muscled, and couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her breasts. She couldn’t blame him, though, they were pretty awesome. She patted Markowitz on his chest twice and then slid off him, unashamed of her nudity. He, of course, was still fully dressed. Okay, his pants and boxers were down around his knees, but still. Prude.

“Sorry, ma’am, I thought you were in danger.”[/b] The man seemed to find his tongue as she started getting dressed. He averted her eyes, as though the act of dressing were somehow more obscene than the act of sex. She cocked an eyebrow, staring at him assessingly. 

“Why, you want to save the pretty little damsel?” She asked, now fully dressed in a flirty tunic top and leggings, comfortable flats on her feet. She didn’t quite reach his shoulder as she sashayed past him, looking expectantly over her shoulder at the man as she left the room. Markowitz was still panting on the floor. No stamina in that way, pity.

“I suppose there could have been better timing.” The man admitted, glancing back once before following the girl. She grinned and looped her arm through his. 

“Nah, at this point it’s practically tradition I do something terrible to every Avenger I meet, soulmate or not.” Darcy shrugged. 

“I’m Sam.” He told her a moment later, still trying to sort through everything he’d just seen. 

“Darcy. I hope you like sex, dude, because if not, we are going to have issues.” She informed him after a moment. He glanced down, a look of shock clear on his face, and she grinned unrepentantly back up at him. “What? Hook ups are one thing, no strings and all fun. Relationships are a whole different animal. You need to make mama happy or spend a lot of money on toys so I can make myself happy.”

“This,” Sam said slowly. “Is the most surreal conversation I have ever head.” 

“Just think, dude, this is only the tip of the iceberg. No offense to Steve.” Darcy retorted easily, grinning as she led him through the mazes to the elevators. She’d have to go break the news to Jane.


	7. Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater revival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You guys asked for it, just be aware

So SHIELD wanted them back, that was nice. Thankfully they were also willing to put the team (if you could call it that, Darcy called it that) up in a new flat in London. It was lovely, not having to worry about little things like water, power, gas, and rent. Rent especially. It was large, their new place, large enough that those who mattered got their own rooms and the rest (read: Ian) had a cot in the corner. Originally he’d been under the assumption he would be sharing a room with Darcy, but she wasn’t really in the mood to put up with that. She could have put him up with Erik, that was what bunk beds were for after all, but she didn’t think Erik needed that kind of harassment at the moment. Besides, he was a very open minded man and if he got excited and laid one out on their Intern Ian might do something stupid. Like assume they were magically in love. 

He wasn’t a very bright boy when it didn’t come to science. 

The science contingent were doing sciencey things today while the rest of the team (Thor and Darcy) supervised the move. That meant Thor was carrying the heavy boxes and Darcy was telling him where to put it all. They had an actual fact lab near where the space elves decided to get rowdy, this place, this was just for living. They had a living area which was separate from the science area. It was beyond magical for Darcy at the moment. On top of this magic, they had access to help for Erik. He wasn’t interested in it at the moment, mostly because the meds they wanted him to take made him fuzzy and he disliked it. When he got to be a bit too much they had the meds in liquid form and Darcy had no compunctions about stabbing him in the ass with a syringe should she need to. 

Naked did not equate to needing a needle in the ass. Not with Thor here to encourage him in it. The two of them wandered around nude all the time. If Darcy said no to Erik, she would have to say no to Thor, but she rather liked the view Thor gave them. So she kept her eyes about shoulder height and prayed for the best on most days. Unless it was Ian. Ian should know better. 

Darcy didn’t have a lot of patience for the boy. He didn’t have a soul mark and it made him nervous for some reason. She’d mentioned (more than once before she started ignoring his mopey needy ways) his soul mate might not have been born yet and he was destined to be a cradle robber, but it didn’t help the boy in the mean time. He was a sappy romantic twit who tended to be on the needy side of things. Making out with him in the thick of danger hadn’t been her best move.

“That is all of the boxes, Darcy, what else would you have me do?” The big blond asked genially, smile on his face as he dusted off his hands. The much shorter woman plugged in the sound setup she’d been working on for the last twenty minutes and plugged in her iPod, flipping on one of her favorite playlists. 

“Dance with me big guy!” She declared, bouncing on her toes, her arms waving over her head as her lazy curls bounced down her back. Thor laughed and followed her example, keeping his arms bent at the elbows so his hands didn’t hit the ceiling. His friend Lady Darcy often had these impromptu dance moments and they could be for any reason she so felt was right. His Lady Jane joined in and more recently so did his friend Erik. It gladdened his heart to see Erik so bright after his brother had wrought such destructive happenings on the man’s mind. 

“Okay, time to introduce ourselves to the neighborhood.” Darcy hit pause on the iPod and popped her head into the bathroom to check out her hair (wild with a touch of mess, but eh) and winked at Thor as she strode out of their front door, skipping down the stairs as she hummed the song which had just ended. 

Out the door at the bottom of the stairs and into the next door over, this one had an A and a B. Someone had split it into two smaller flats rather than keeping the one larger. She didn’t ponder it much, just went to the door downstairs and knocked. No answer after the second knock. Undeterred (and a bit bored and in need of company who wasn’t all science and no fun) she bounced up the next set of stairs, Thor finally coming in behind her at the bottom, a fondly amused smile on his face. 

She rapped her knuckles on the door and paused. This time it was answered almost immediately by a man not much taller than herself (ok, like four inches taller, but let’s be honest, it wasn’t much when you compared it to Thor or Erik or Ian. She was surrounded by half-giants who only lacked Hagrid’s girth to be made of awesome and win at Harry Potter magic.)

“Can I help you?” He asked, a look on his face somewhere between a smile and a wince. 

“I’m Darcy, I’m your new neighbor.” She told him, holding her hand out with a smile. He took it, probably habit more than anything else. He had a decidedly distracted look on his face. The violin in the background abruptly stopped. 

“Tell them to go away, I already have a case.” A sullen voice demanded from the same direction the violin had come from. Darcy raised her eyebrows and looked at the harried man before her. 

“That’s a lie.” The blond before her threw back. 

“I’m aware.” The scorn in the other voice made Darcy want to clap. 

“I just wanted to come over and introduce myself. This is one of my roommates, Thor,” Darcy gestured to the man now taking up most of the landing. Quick footsteps were followed by the door being yanked open further and an incredibly tall man with piercing blue eyes and curly brown hair was staring down at her, a glower firm in his eyes. She decided she could definitely play this game and pasted a perky smile onto her face. 

“Hi, we just moved in next door. Don’t mind the odd Swedish shanty, that’s just Erik and if he’s that loud he’s probably naked so it’s best to just leave him be.” She continued to smile as a vaguely confused look replaced the sneer on the tall man’s face, leaving the shorter one to give him a confused glance. 

“Right, well, you’re shorter than I had anticipated.” The man informed her, opening the door wider before turning on his heel and going back into what was hopefully his house and not the other mans.

“I happen to be fun sized, and you, you jackass, gave me quite the complex during the first year of puberty.” She replied, striding into the room past an even more confused blond. 

“If the words of a complete stranger can upset you so greatly I shudder to think how weak of a will you must have.” The man arched his eyebrows at her, his long face blank. 

“Puberty is a delicate time for a girl, especially when she spends half of it fighting off the sudden interest of lecherous little boys and men old enough to know better, and the other half trying to figure out why all of her girlfriends suddenly hate her. Has anyone ever told you to think before you speak?” She replied airily, running her fingers over the knick-knacks scattered artfully about. 

“I always think before I speak. I think while I speak. It is a side effect of being me I never actually stop thinking.” He shot back.

“Thinking and musing are two different things.” She smiled, saccharine sweet and full of fight. Thor had made his way inside with the other man, and waved a hand when the smaller man started to open his mouth, a chastising look on his face directed toward his friend. The Lady Darcy could take care of herself. 

“I am quite aware.” He bit off. 

“I am Darcy Lewis, who might you be?” She asked, flopping down into a chair and dropping her chin into her palm, a knowing smile flitting across her lips. 

“I believe the question you intended was-” Darcy cut him off, deciding she didn’t like the slight sneer in his eyes. If he wanted to be a smarty pants she would be one right back. 

“The question I intended was the one that I asked. I already know your name, Sherlock, it’s on most of the mail and a picture of yourself and the cute blond in that paper laying open on the table. I have your name, I want to know who you are, other than my soulmate of course.” She replied, one eyebrow raised challengingly as a smile started to grow across Sherlock’s face.

“Great, there are two of them.” This from John, who tromped into the kitchen, Thor at his heels, to make tea. Might as well, it was what his mum would have done. 

“Glad tidings indeed.” Thor agreed, not realizing the other man was using sarcasm. That left the soulmates in the other room by themselves, possibly not a good idea, but certainly it would be interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just home from DragonCon, I love being out east in Atlanta!! I spent two days running the crowds for Patrick Stewart autographs and guys, I have to say, he is an amazing man. Everything he seems to be, he really is. Even when the doors are closed and his agent is cursing people out and he is going along behind him apologizing for the other man's poor manners. 
> 
> That being said, once he was gone I had to go back to the rest of walk of fame (it was still awesome) where I was told that no, I was not allowed to lick Karl Urban and claim him as my own, though Grant Bowler said he'd stalk me any day and we went downhill from there much to my boss's chagrin. The Ashmores, however, are no longer twins. I refuse to say it out loud. I got tired of hearing that question after about 20 minutes, I have no idea how they put up with it. I had a ton of people convinced they were identical cousins, though, and the boys seemed to find it amusing. So that was last weekend for me :)


	8. Swing Life Away by Rise Against, part 1

Everything would be infinitely easier if everyone would just stop asking her if she were alright. She wasn’t and she wasn’t going to be any time soon. Telling people she wasn’t okay made them hover, though, and when she lied and said she was fine all they wanted to do was stare at her with big sad puppy eyes because they were worried she didn’t feel like she could be honest with them. It made her want to punch something. Maybe that would be a reaction they could get behind. 

Maybe she should punch her soulmate. _That_ might make her feel better. 

Meeting your soulmate should be a beautiful, glorious thing. At least that was what she’d learned from growing up with Disney movies and romcoms. Maybe she should have paid more attention to the ones where it wasn’t love at first sight and the soulmates had to figure out that maybe the universe really did know what it was doing. Not that she trusted the universe or fate or whatever right now. 

Darcy’s soulmate had raked his eyes over her and asked if she wanted to get a drink. She’d heard that line a lot in her 24 years, so it no longer fazed her. When she replied with a resounding “I guess that depends on whether or not you’re using drinks as a euphemism for stranger-danger sex,” and his eyes had gone wide with horror and surprise, she had the beginnings of a terrible realization. 

“I don’t have time for this shit. No, not happening.” He had turned and walked away, that heavenly slice of man meat who had almost been hers, and she’d flipped off his back and turned on her pretty heel (heels paid for by the illustrious Tony Stark because Pepper insisted Darcy get a bonus every time he leered at her or made suggestive commentary) and left the extravaganza which was meant to be celebrating her best friend’s scientific achievements. The party was extra awesome because of the number of people there who, only a short 18 months before, had thought she was a complete crackpot. It was sad how many people didn’t recognize genius when it was standing in front of them in improperly buttoned flannel. 

Her meeting with her soul mate might not have been quite so bad if she hadn’t been standing with Tony, Pepper, Bruce, and Clint at the moment when it had happened. Luckily for the jackass himself, Jane hadn’t been there. For such a petite little thing she had a hell of a left hook and no compunction about using it whenever she deemed it necessary. Defending Darcy, whether Darcy herself thought it necessary or not, was one of those things which would always raise the other woman’s ire. 

“Tequila Tuesdays, your presence is mandatory.” Darcy declared, throwing herself into a chair beside Jane, who was standing instead of sitting. She did that a lot, especially now that they had the nifty ergonomic desks which raised to just the right height for the tiny mad scientist. One little button and she could hop from foot to foot as much as her little heart desired. 

“Done. When do we start?” Jane asked, still scrolling through pictures which had been taken via some satellite or other. Darcy stopped paying attention to what the names were and simply color coded them based on what region of the solar system they were exploring and who technically owned them. It was easier that way. There were way too many little Midgardian toys out and about in nearby space to remember the names of every single one of them. 

“As soon as work is done. I need a margarita as large as my head and I have since Saturday.” Darcy admitted, wrinkling her nose in irritation. She’d sort of segregated herself from the rest of the Avengers and team for the last few days and she’d never really been one for drinking alone when she was depressed (but wouldn’t that be an awesome walk down her childhood?) so she’d just vegged out in her room and had Jarvis keep up a steady stream of Looney Tunes while she contemplated taking a cheese grater to her soul mark. 

“I’ll put out an all hands. Maybe we can get Tony to spring for a bartender so we don’t have to leave the tower.” Jane suggested, opening her outlook to create a meeting (it was the only way to get Pepper’s attention if you needed her within 24 hours.) 

“Nah, let’s go out. Tony can still foot the bill, though.” Darcy told her friend, grinning recklessly as she kicked out her foot to set the chair into a lazy spin. She was behaving a little spoiled for Darcy, usually she was straightforward and had no patience with wallowing or whining, even from herself. The last three days she’d been doing a bit of both, irritating herself and then drowning that irritation in orange sherbert. 

“I know just the place.” Jane smiled at her friend, but Darcy was still spinning and not paying enough attention. If she had been she might have noticed the hard bent to the smaller woman’s smile. 

“Are you serious?” Darcy demanded, staring at the entrance to the bar instead of looking at her erstwhile boss. 

“I’m hoping he shows up, I didn’t get to see him last time.” Jane shrugged, unconcerned by the possibility of Darcy bolting for the night. Natasha was standing beside her, and no one wanted the redhead attempting to herd them. No one. Not even Thor. Not even Thor when drunk. 

“Evisceration is illegal.” Darcy reminded her, tugging on an errant curl and frowning as she worked up the courage to enter the bar that was still rather upscale, but now lacking all the pash accoutrements of an SI party. 

“Only if you’re caught.” Natasha replied, a wicked smile beginning to curve the other woman’s lips. Darcy shook her head, deciding her friends were all mad and she _definitely_ needed that drink now. She pushed past Jane and into the bar, planting herself directly in front of the bartender. 

“I need the biggest possible Margarita you can make me and I need you to double the tequila.” She informed him as the rest of her group slowly joined her at the counter. Wide eyed the man took in the site before him and then got ahold of himself, smiling genially and losing the awed tone of his gaze (no one could blame him for glancing over at Natasha a couple more times, though, he was male. Even gay men loved Natasha, they just didn’t want to bone her. She was Natasha, it just worked like that). 

“So did we pick this place because there is a chance he might be back, or because there isn’t a very large chance that he’ll be back since he apparently didn’t know a great thing when he saw her?” Pepper asked twenty minutes later as she watched Darcy start in on her third margarita. She didn’t want to think about the shots the girl had ordered in the mean time. They were going to be peeling the young woman off of the floor when they were ready to leave and would then need to pour her into bed. Likely with a bucket near at hand just in case. 

“Yes.” Jane said decisively, not actually answering the willowy woman’s question. 

“I picked nothing. That includes, for the record, my soulmate.” Darcy announced, half pouting and half growling as she picked at the tapas Pepper had deemed necessary to soak up some of the booze. 

“I actually understand that thought process quite well,” the woman commented, her tone as dry as the desert her soulmate had once been trapped in. 

“At least Tony isn’t a complete douchecanoe, he’s just got moments. A lot of moments, but still.” Darcy liked Tony. He never pretended to be someone or something he wasn’t, he never apologized if he didn’t feel sorry, and idiocy mixed with bigotry pissed him off in a way which created the most beautiful political explosions. 

“And he adores you.” Jane reminded the tall woman, tipping her beer toward her in salute.

“Yes he does. Unlike my own soul mate, who apparently despised me on site.” Darcy sniffed in offensive, the scene replaying itself in her head for the umpteenth time. She turned her gaze to the curvier redhead, her gaze contemplative. Natasha offered a bland smile, giving away nothing. 

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed how none of you have asked his name, what he does, or why he was at the party.” She mentioned after a few moments of silence. She had been around the group for long enough that she knew full well JARVIS had been on hand for the entirety of the party and that meant every whisper was on record for Tony’s perusal. After a moment like she’d had, well, Tony would have had all of the man’s information as soon as he’d taken a moment to go through it and Natasha would have appropriated said information to do her own checks. 

“It’s not a very nice background.” Natasha offered after a few long moments of silence where Pepper and Jane stared at each other as though daring the other one to take point. 

“Neither is mine.” Darcy shrugged off the concern. 

“He is older than you are.” Natasha continued. 

“I figured as much.” Darcy was unimpressed, sucking down her margarita through a straw and just about halfway through. She was going to be wasted. 

“ He’s older than Steve.” The assassin set her elbows on the table and steepled her fingers, eyes trained on the youngest of their group. 

“He’s hot for an octogenarian.” Darcy paused and thought back to the way his pants had fit as he was walking away. It had been a nice view. She’d have enjoyed it more if she hadn’t felt quite so humiliated and defeated. 

“He is also a mutant.” Natasha finished, eyeing Darcy carefully. The brunette paused, staring blankly at Natasha. 

“Do you think I’m some kind of racist?” She demanded after a moment, having consumed enough alcohol to share her ire with the entire establishment. 

“I think you need to know why he wasn’t willing to talk to you in the middle of a party and why he may have left without his friend and colleague, the reason he was there in the first place. He is used to bigots, he isn’t used to regular people who don’t give two shits about the differences between himself and the rest of the populace. You aren’t the norm, Darcy Lewis, and perhaps he was upset because he wasn’t expecting that.” Natasha explained in a low, husky voice, watching Darcy curiously. 

“Fuck that shit, why the hell would he and I be a match if I was going to hate some part of him. Where the hell is he?” Darcy demanded, finishing her margarita and then the shot Natasha gently pushed toward her. If she’d been sober she might have noticed the hint of a smug smirk on the other woman’s lips. 

“He’s gone back home. He teaches at a school upstate.” Jane replied. 

“Well, what are we waiting for, let’s go.” The younger woman turned and stomped out of the room, her goal now clear in mind. 

“This might not have been the best plan.” Pepper mentioned, staring across at Jane. 

“The plan is fine.” Natasha disagreed with a smile, standing up and making her way out to follow the other woman. 

“So, bored Natasha. Fabulous or frightening?” Jane asked as she waved her hand for another round of beer for herself. 

“I’m not entirely sure.” Pepper blinked and then sighed softly, writing it off as Superhero shenanigans and best ignored so she wouldn’t have to file the paperwork when everything went to hell.


	9. Swing Life Away by Rise Against, part 2

Darcy woke up in the passenger seat of Natasha’s Corvette, her head pounding and her mouth feeling as dry as the New Mexican desert. A glance out the window showed trees and grass on either side of them, and a large iron gate they were quickly approaching. She turned bleary blue eyes to the calm woman sitting in the drivers seat. 

“This is not New York.” Darcy accused, not actually sure what was going on. No food and all booze apparently made Darcy a dull girl. 

“Yes it is.” There was a decidedly amused hint to Natasha’s voice which Darcy narrowed her eyes at. 

“This is not New York _City_ ,” She stressed the word heavily, half hissing due to the sticky quality her tongue had decided to adopt in the last however long she’d been asleep. 

“No, this is not.” Natasha agreed easily, stopping at the gate and cocking an eyebrow at the security camera which was trained on her car. 

“Where are we, exactly?” Darcy demanded, already thoroughly irritated at having to pull every tiny particle of information from Natasha. Sometimes the woman offered information, but never without reason. Usually, she made you ask incredibly specific questions to get the information you wanted, because knowledge should always be earned. At least that was what she’d told Darcy after they had been living together (sort of) for a few weeks. 

“Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters.” Natasha flicked a finger at a cup of coffee and a small packet of aspirin sitting in the center console near Darcy. The brunette glowered at the redhead for a moment before pocketing the aspirin and cuddling the coffee close to her chest so she could inhale the fumes for a moment before she took her first sip. It was glorious. 

“What are we doing at this school?” Darcy asked, eyeballing the gate suspiciously as it slowly swung open. 

“We are seeing a man about a problem.” Natasha told her, an innocent look sweeping across her face. Darcy’s gaze shot to the assassin, dread starting to curl in her stomach. Natasha had planned something, and Darcy was about 98 percent certain she didn’t want any part of it. No, Natasha knew her well. She was now 99 percent certain she wanted nothing to do with whatever plan the spy had come up with. It was why Natasha had waited until she was drunk to somehow wrangle her into the vehicle. 

They slowly drove down the winding drive to what looked like a mansion, though apparently it was a school. It was certainly big enough to be a school. Children paused their games to watch them drive with varying levels of curiosity and suspicion. That level of distrust in children made the young woman’s stomach knot unpleasantly. She, too, had been mistrustful of adults when she was that young. It didn’t imply a happy childhood. 

The redhead parked her sleek car beside a dirty jeep and climbed out, gazing down at the frozen Darcy with a look of vague contempt. Obviously she was not in the mood to put up with Darcy’s wariness. Since the brunette was fairly certain the other woman didn’t want to kill her (there was always at least a five percent chance it was possible, she was mouthy, after all) she decided to sigh heavily and ensure her friend knew just how put upon she was feeling at the moment. She opened the door and heaved herself out of the car, half limping as she tried to wake her foot back up. 

“Good morning,” a petite woman with dusky skin and snow white hair and smiled gently from an open door and Darcy blinked at her. Most people looked ridiculous with white hair, this woman looked ridiculously gorgeous. Darcy, herself, had stopped attempting to dye her hair at about fourteen when she realized that blonde locks washed her out, red hair made her look jaundiced, and crayola colors were far too much effort to keep maintained. 

“Is it?” Darcy asked waspishly, turning a baleful glare toward Natasha, who ignored her. 

“Good morning, Ms. Munroe. We are a bit early, sorry.” The Avenger didn’t shake the other woman’s hand, instead they swapped pleasant nods like professional acquaintances. The younger woman was reasonably sure the woman with the white hair wasn’t an assassin or a spy because of her striking looks, but then again, Natasha didn’t exactly have a face you forgot. 

“If you would follow me.” Ms. Munroe gave an amused smile and turned on her heel, the skirt of her white maxi dress fluttering around her ankles, and walked into the building. Darcy followed, not knowing what else to do. They walked through wide halls, children in groups no larger than ten clustered in various rooms with an adult teaching them a variety of topics. She craned her neck, noting the mathematical equations on a whiteboard while a man smiling engagingly at a group of teens. 

Everything was so clean and bright in the building, it made Darcy want to relax, though she didn’t. She wasn’t as bad as most of the Avengers regarding personal safety and the rampant need to attack those who surprised them, but she did take a little while to feel comfortable in a new place. That might even be the reason why Natasha had slowed down so she was a mere step away. Darcy took a deep, relaxing breath and forced a smile onto her face. Natasha wouldn’t have brought her here if it weren’t safe, no matter what her overactive imagination might occasionally declare. 

The woman left them in a sitting room full of overstuffed arm chairs and an Ironman red settee which would have delighted Tony. Darcy pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of it, texting Tony and demanding she have one for her room. She got a prompt “on it” in response and settled back in her seat, crossing her legs at the knees and bouncing her foot up and down impatiently. She glanced to the left and spotted a tall figure chatting with a couple of people who were likely in their late teens. Eyes blazing she jerked her head to Natasha.

“Are you freaking kidding me right now!?” She demanded, her voice going a bit shrill. Natasha gave her an unimpressed look before turning her gaze to her nails, inspecting her neat manicure for possible imperfections. Darcy’s eyes darted back to the tall man, her graceless soulmate, and found him coming her way with a rather displeased look on his face. She shot to her feet, deciding she was in the mood for a fight considering how she’d been feeling for the last few days. Natasha shifted in her seat, lounging back a bit further as she watched the incoming man with a smug grin on her lips, his cohorts coming in behind him with wide eyes. 

“What the hell are you doing here?” He demanded, shoulders tense as she frowned down at her. She hadn’t really realized just how tall he was. At least a foot above herself, maybe a few inches taller. She didn’t even reach his shoulders. He was apparently as ready for a fight as she was. Maybe if she hadn’t been feeling quite so combative she could have told him she wasn’t sure, because she’d been kidnapped by a crazy former KGB operative after far too much tequila the night before. 

“None of your damned business, that’s what.” She retorted, standing her ground and attempting to straighten her spine to get a bit more height. She looked like a mutinous pixie, though a pleasantly curvy one, with her hair done up in a topknot from the night before (because if you were going to drink that much alcohol, it was best to be prepared and no one liked holding up a friends hair if they didn’t have to) and a pale blue bell-sleeved sweater dress which barely hit mid thigh and leggings printed with pictures of nebulae and her little blue ballet flats. Her lipstick had worn off, but her eyeliner was still on, but with her hands on her hips and her feet shoulder width apart, blue eyes mutinous, she looked a bit like a pissed off Tinkerbell. 

“We have a meeting scheduled with Professor Xavier.” Natasha purred, watching Darcy’s soulmate with heavy lidded eyes. It was a dangerous look, if you knew Nat, if you understood just how dangerous she was. From the slightly irritated look on her soulmate’s face, Darcy was pretty sure he knew, but didn’t care. That … was worrisome. 

_”Let them in, Logan.”_ A voice requested fondly … in her brain. Her eyes went wide and she whipped her head around, looking at the people around her for confirmation she wasn’t the only one who had heard it. The smirk which graced Natasha’s lips and the grimace on her soulmate said it all. 

“Dude should really ask permission before he talks in your brain. Warn a girl, jeeze.” Darcy grumbled, sucking down more of her coffee as she continued to glower at the big man before her. She’d climb him like a tree if she weren’t pissed off and wanting to claw his eyeballs out. It was the way that t-shirt of his hugged his arms and when he twisted to glance at the girl with the white streaks in her hair (what was with the women in this place having white hair so young?) it pulled across some rather impressive abdominal muscles. And she lived with Captain America and Thor. 

“This way.” The man, Logan, apparently, told them, grimacing again as he jerked his head toward a closed door. Darcy stalked forward, carefully sidestepping him in an obvious manner before opening the door in question. She didn’t bother to check if Natasha was behind her, she didn’t care at this point. It was hoes before bros, tits before dicks! She had broken the rules by tricking Darcy into this. No, not tricking, kidnapping and forcing her to deal with he who should have his feet melted off by lava for treating her like crap in the middle of a party where she was dressed damn good! Good enough that _he_ had initiated contact with her because she was that smokin’ hot! 

She slammed the door shut behind her as she walked through, if Nat were directly behind her she’d catch it. If _he_ were behind her, well, the dull thunk that came after the slamming of the door implied he hadn’t caught it and the door might be suffering because of his miss. 

“Good morning, Ms. Lewis. I understand it was a rather trying night for you.” The man sitting before her with the calm voice and softly amused grin was bald as a billiard and possessed of very kind blue eyes. 

“Made more trying by this little voice in my head trying to tell me I may have done something very dumb while drunk, and not the usual fun kind of way.” She informed him, watching him from the corner of her eye as she sat in one of the two seats before his desk, demurely crossing her legs at the knees. She wasn’t dressed for a business meeting, but then she didn’t usually go to business meetings with Natasha so who the hell knew what was really going on anyhow. 

“I received your permission before we began this trek.” Natasha offered, sitting down in the second chair and mirroring Darcy’s pose. 

“Logan, please shut the door.” The man before them, Charles Xavier from the placard on his desk, asked the other man. Darcy didn’t turn to look at him, so she didn’t see dent in the solid wood door which must have been about face height for the man. If she had, she may have felt a little better. Especially since the two teens had been approached by their friends and the group had witnessed him collide with the wood and were now grinning at her approach to the man’s attitude. 

“Now, I believe you are here regarding the Avengers Initiative.” Charles, because how could someone with a smooth baritone voice like his be a mere mister anything, 

“Yes, Professor,” Natasha inclined her head slightly, a show of respect which was rare from the woman. Professor made sense, though, he seemed wise. Like a white Mr. Miyagi. “We were hoping we could discuss the idea of some of your X-Men being backup for the Avengers. Now that we are the face protection for all of Earth, apparently, we have become a bit of a target.” 

“You think?” Logan snorted, leaning against the wall to the left of Professor Xavier, his arms crossed over his chest. Darcy glowered at him, sucking down more of her coffee. 

“I can certainly speak with my team and find out what kind of help we may be able to offer, but our first priority is to the children.” Charles mentioned after pondering for a moment. Darcy liked the word pondering. Not enough people used it. 

“As it should be.” Natasha inclined her head once more and Darcy eyed her for a moment. She treated the professor like an equal, it made Darcy want to treat him with respect. She would have anyway, but the urge was stronger with Natasha there leading by example. 

“What kind of school is this, anyway?” Darcy asked, finishing the last of her coffee and feeling like she was finally starting to wake up. 

“It is a school, and a home, for mutants.” Charles’ eyes smiled when he smiled, reminding Darcy a bit of Thor for some reason. The two weren’t at all alike, from what she could tell, and yet she couldn’t shake the sense of resemblance. 

“Interesting.” Darcy’s brain was wheeling about, putting together half formed thoughts regarding her soulmate, this school, and a drunken night in which she mistakenly agreed to let Natasha do whatever she apparently felt like doing. 

“Interesting. Great.” Logan’s voice was half snarl and Darcy turned her head, cocking an unimpressed eyebrow at the neanderthal. 

“Logan, why don’t you give them a tour of the school.” Charles suggested, his tone light. The way Logan’s jaw clenched she had an idea that he might be talking to the man. Kind, blue eyes turned toward her next. _”Give him a chance, this is very hard for Logan.”_ It was hard for her too, and she did her best to shoot the thought at the older gentleman before standing up and turning on her toe toward the door. 

“Allow me.” Logan was already there, holding the door open with a mocking grin on his face. She lifted her chin, striding through the door without a second look back. 

“I think I’ll stay here, I have some questions for the professor.” Natasha called, causing Darcy to spin and gape at the woman who was _supposed_ to be on her side. 

“Please don’t break any doors.” Charles called, waving one hand as Logan slowly shut the door and then eyeballed her like she was a snake about to strike. She might strike him. She had it in her. 

“I don’t usually do the tours.” He offered after a long moment of silence. She frowned up at him. Her neck craned back because she was standing too close and he was too tall. 

“That surprises me, you’re obviously such a people person.” She informed him after a beat, her voice flat and one eyebrow arched. 

“That’s me, a regular Mr. Rogers.” His voice was equally flat and he started walking down the hall without her, his long legs moving quickly.

“Dude, slowdown, not all of us have legs as long as bigfoot.” Darcy called, not bothering to go faster than a lazy walk. He glanced over his shoulder, irritation clear on his face. “Also, if you have coffee, this tour will go a lot better.” She advised as she finally caught up with him. He stared down at her, slightly amused despite himself. 

“This way.” He apparently liked to use his head to give directions, because he jerked it toward the west and loped off again, this time more slowly. She craned her head left and right, looking through windows at small classrooms, some occupied, some not. Logan didn’t offer her an explanation and Darcy didn’t ask for one. 

“Kitchen.” He announced as they went through a set of swinging doors. Small clumps of teens were crowded around little circle tables and the island in the center of a chrome and white tile kitchen. She walked straight to the coffee machine and, upon noting it was empty, poked at the side of the carafe and sent a wide eyed beseeching look to the tall man who had led her here. 

“I got it.” A blond kid, he’d been walking with Logan earlier, stood up and smiled at her, walking to the fridge and digging out coffee beans. 

“That work on most people?” Logan asked her after a moment. She shrugged. 

“Not my house, not my place to dig around cupboards.” She told him, leaning her hip against the counter. Well, the counter was at the bottom of her ribs, it was at Logans hips. Man, what she wouldn’t give for longer legs. She’d be able to reach the top shelves in the kitchen without needing a chair. It would be utterly magical. 

“I’m Darcy Lewis.” She finally told him, staring at him with pursed lips as she reminded herself she was fully capable of being an adult and therefore at least partially mature. 

“Logan.” He offered after a little longer. She’d give it to him that he didn’t stare at her chest or hips, the dress fit her like a soft little glove, and some of the teenagers had already sent it a few gratifying glances. Logan, apparently, was immune. He hadn’t been a few days ago, but apparently being his soul mate meant you were no longer attractive. 

“It’s done.” The silent staring they were doing was interrupted by the lovely boy who had made her lifesblood for her. 

“Excellent.” She grinned and held out a hand. “I’m Darcy and I adore you at the moment.” 

“I’m Bobby, and I appreciate your adoration.” He inclined his head as the girl from earlier come up and wrapped an arm around his waist, claiming her territory with a friendly smile. 

“Are you a friend of Logan’s?” She asked, her voice a soft, sweet drawl. Darcy saw it instantly for what it was, a southern verbal ass whooping in the making. 

“Technically I’m his soulmate, but he’s being a dick at the moment so we haven’t gotten past the shock and awe portion of the program.” She informed the girl with a razor sharp smile. The wide eyed chastising look the girl suddenly sent to the taller man said a lot about what he may have mentioned. Especially when he glared at Darcy rather than looking back at her. 

“I’m Rogue, it’s a pleasure, Darcy.” The girl held out a hand, this time her smile more friendly than sweet. 

“Thank you, I appreciate it. Big, tall, and bratly is supposed to be giving me a tour, but it’s not going so well at the moment. I assume it’s because he’s usually kept locked in a cage due to manners.” Darcy offered, pouring black coffee into the paper cup she’d been using. Bobby looked to be tamping down on a smile as he glanced over at Logan before focusing on Darcy once more. 

“We usually keep him back so he can handle PR.” He told her, a wicked grin in his eyes that made her want to adopt him. Referencing Firefly was like singing the song of her people. 

“Watch it, Icicle.” Logan drawled, his voice more dry than warning.

“Icicle?” Darcy asked, sipping her coffee with wide eyes as she turned her gaze from the younger man to the … well the jackass who was apparently her soulmate. She really wasn’t going to be able to stop fixating on that for a while. 

“Technically Ice Man, but Logan gets confused in his old age.” Bobby shrugged, smiling easily as he tucked his hands into his pockets. 

“That or he looks at you and thinks ‘holy shit, this kid’s young.’” Darcy grinned back at Bobby, figuring the name was likely a code name which implied he was older than he looked (gods, she hoped so if he was an X-Man) and likely had fought side by side with her … holy shit her soulmate was a superhero. She turned to eye him warily, yet again. Maybe he was more of an antihero. 

“Not much younger than you, though,” Rogue mentioned, watching her with a curious smile. 

“That would make McBroody a cradle robber.” Darcy replied, deciding she would neither confirm nor deny her age. Maybe she was just a super hot forty year old. These kids wouldn’t know. 

“My name is Logan.” The man in question growled, obviously irritated with _her_. She was quite used to that kind of reaction. 

“Is it your first name or your last name?” Darcy asked, twirling to arch her eyebrows demandingly at the man. 

“It’s my only name, like Madonna.” Logan shot back, a smirk on his lips. 

“Madonna is a first name, her full name is Madonna Louise Ciccone. Since you have either forgotten your full name or decided that using it was beneath you, I’ve decided to practice using monikers I think fit your image.” She lifted her coffee again, taking a drink as she stared at him, daring him to tell her what to do. She was still spoiling for a fight. 

“How did you know that?” Bobby asked, laughing at her attitude. The image of the younger woman facing off with the Wolverine was one which was going to keep him occupied for many, many moons. Of course, if they were soulmates the chances were good that they would continually be drawn to one another so he might get more shows like this. The woman, Darcy, was a curvy little thing, but had a tiny waist, no real muscle definition he could discern, and despite her obvious curves, was still significantly smaller than Logan. It was like a Pomeranian facing off with a Labrador. It would never not be funny. 

“Trivial Pursuit Pop Culture. I kicked Tony’s ass. Bad. Twice. He won’t play with me now.” Darcy’s grin was smug, as it should be, it wasn’t every day you got the best of Tony Stark when he declared himself the best at something. As much of an ass as he tended to be, he really was insanely intelligent and he really did give props to others when they were smarter than him about something. He valued intelligence like other people valued money. 

“Sounds like Stark.” Logan commented. Darcy turned a ferocious frown on the man. 

“So you’re intimately acquainted with him, then?” She demanded, obviously offended by his offhand remark. 

“Heard enough.” Logan drawled, apparently spoiling for a fight as much as Darcy since he was egging her on. Good, that mean she wouldn’t have to feel bad. 

“Maybe I should call you Jon Snow, you obviously know nothing.” Darcy told him, a sneer on her face. It was one thing for her to talk about the team, especially Tony. She and Tony were bros and you know what, he didn’t have near enough people at his back to remind people what a badass he was beneath the booze and the parties and the women. 

“Look, sweet heart, I call it like I see it.” His sneer was equal to hers and all she could do was chuck her coffee cup, still half full of coffee, directly at his face. 

“You do not get to pass judgement on people who were willing to give their lives for this ridiculous world without a second thought.” She didn’t scream, she didn’t have to, her voice shook with her rage and Logan might have ducked the cup, but the hot contents splashed completely down his torso. She’d have felt bad, except she wasn’t as dumb as people apparently thought she was. While taking care of the labs for the Scientists Three she also dealt with Avengers social media (personal and team related) and as such she needed to keep up with other various heroics and good doings around the world. She knew exactly who Wolverine was. Well, maybe not exactly, but her brain had put together the puzzle pieces about three quarters of the way down her first cup of coffee. Mutants, Logan, that body, the X-men, she kind of wished he were wearing leather because the view might have helped distract from her anger. Wolverine. He healed faster than Steve, he’d be fine. 

“You are the most judgemental man I have ever met, and I have met some real peaches.” Darcy informed him, stepping forward lightly, her eyes intense. 

“You think _I’m_ judgemental?” He started, pushing off the wall to tower over her intimidatingly. Someone should have mentioned that she wasn’t easily intimidated. 

“Yeah, I do.” She said, pushing her hands against his chest in an effort to shove him back. It didn’t work so she just craned her head back to glare up at him, pointing a finger at his nose. “I haven’t done one thing to you that you didn’t deserve. You try to pick me up at a bar like every other lascivious cro magnon and then, upon realizing I’m your soulmate, you tell me you don’t have time for “this shit”, which, for the record, I’m glad was your _second_ set of words to me because your first ones were bad enough during my formative years. However they are seared to my brain, because it’s not every day some dude is burning hot for my bangin’ bod and then decides I’m Typhoid Mary.”

“Look,” Logan started, his eyes starting to darken with something other than anger. She flicked him in the nose before going back to pointing.

“I’m not done!” Now she shouted, taking half a step forward. They were almost touching, they were so close. She was not about to be cowed by this man, he needed to get that they were equal right quick. “If anyone gets to be the offended party here, it’s me. Not only did I _not_ do anything to you that night, I didn’t do anything to you today until you decided to come up all snarly and verbally accost me once I was here. If I’d known you were here, I wouldn’t have come. Do you know why? Because you pretty much killed my ego for the month, and now you’re acting like I’m some dumb broad who will disappear if you ignore her and you are insulting my friends and colleagues. You can go fuck yourself with a hedgehog.” She turned on her heel and stomped away. She was done with him and the tour and the whole fucking school at the moment. She was going to go sit in Natasha’s car until it was time to leave.


	10. Swing Life Away by Rise Against, Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> part 3 of 4!

Natasha’s car was locked and the redhead was nowhere to be found, including Professor Xavier’s office, the bitch. 

Darcy ended up outside wandering the grounds, soaking in the sun and admiring the green, green grass that she hadn’t seen in quite some time. She needed to make it out to Central Park more often, greenery was good for a person. Maybe she could take the scientists for walks. Tony might even enjoy a leash, if only for publicity stunts’ sake. Steve would go with her, when he was in the city, he was always restless and wanting to move. It was probably from sleeping for the bigger part of a century. 

“Who are you?” A suspicious voice was coming from the other side of a hedge and Darcy turned her head to look at a pair of big brown eyes that were just as suspicious as the voice. 

“Darcy. Who are you?” She cocked her head a bit and eyed the child with mild curiosity. 

“Kyle.” The bushes untangled themselves as he stepped forward, pulling themselves out of his way and then settling back into place once he was through. 

“That is a bankable talent right there, kid. You could own the landscaping industry.” She told him, grinning down at him. He had to be all of about twelve and wasn’t that much shorter than she was, but he had a mop of dirty blond hair and a tan line that suggested he spent a lot of time outdoors. 

“I’d rather be an astronaut.” He told her, watching her, eyes still distrustful. 

“Awesome, be an astronaut. Remember that science and math are important, and use your talents to your advantage by studying up on hydroponics and the ability to create self sustaining plant life in space stations. You’ll be a shoe in. NASA will salivate to have you.” She informed him, continuing with her walk. He walked with her, the distrust replaced by curiosity now.

“Hydroponics?” He asked, obviously needing more. 

“Growing plants without dirt. Dirt is heavy, if you are going to grow plants and veggies in space, you don’t want that much extra weight, you need to figure out something else. You keep studying and see what else you can do with that talent of yours, and I’ll bet you change our entire thought process on it.” She told him, a smile on her face. The sun was making her feel better, and the kid kind of was too. 

“It’s a mutation.” He corrected after a moment. 

“It’s a talent.” She said firmly, glancing down at him with a raised eyebrow. “Most people just aren’t smart enough to realize it.” 

“I am a mutant, that’s why I’m here.” He told her firmly. She stopped again, turning to face him fully, arms crossed over her stomach as she considered him. 

“I don’t like the word mutant, would you like to know why?” She asked after a long moment. She’d thought about this before, not because she was friends with a mutant or it had somehow shaped her destiny (though she supposed now that it kind of had) but because it had been the source of many debates during her school years. High School as well as college. 

“Why?” He asked slowly, crossing his own arms and cocking a hip as though he knew she was going to pull some adult logic trip on him in an attempt to make him feel good about himself. He was pretty sure that adults forgot that they were smart as kids once they hit their mid-twenties.

“I don’t like the word mutant because a mutation means someone is different than everyone else. It is an incorrect usage of the word. Everyone is different from one another. _Everyone_ , whether it’s obvious or not, is different and at some point in their life feels like a freak, or unwanted, or too smart, or too dumb, or something else entirely. The term mutation is a catchall that people are using for anyone that is different. Only we are all different. So technically, we are all mutants, whether we have crazy awesome talents to make plants do nifty tricks, or crazy awesome talents making scientists stay healthy on a diet of pop tarts, coffee, and Flintstones chewable vitamins.” She grinned down at him as his face turned into one of wary incredulousness.

“You’re weird.” He informed her after a long moment of silence. 

“Thank you.” She smiled more brightly and turned to continue walking, the boy keeping pace as he shook his head at her antics. They talked about nothing, her and the kid, and everything. She corrected him on a lot of words he thought he knew, teaching him, without meaning to, that there were multiple sides to everything. She had lots of strange definitions, treating words like ideas and expecting people to be open minded and accepting of them. 

“Darcy!” Someone was calling her name and waving an arm in the air. The slender figure in a t-shirt and opera gloves could only be Rogue. She sighed and waved back, grinning ruefully down at the kid. 

“Think you could make the grass swallow her feet so she can’t come over?” She asked, mostly kidding. He cocked an eyebrow. 

“We aren’t supposed to use our powers on our fellow students.” Kyle recited as though he’d been told this many, many times. 

“You mean you aren’t supposed to get caught.” She told him. He gave her an unimpressed look. “Just remember to tell them you were doing self study next time you get caught.” 

“Like practicing?” He asked, scrunching his eyebrows and nose. He was kind of cute, like a puppy. 

“Self study sounds like homework, teachers love that shit.” She told him, still grinning.

“Language!” A southern drawl interrupted her corruption and Darcy turned to raise her eyebrows at the girl. 

“It’s English and probably something he’s heard before. If it isn’t something he’s heard, Kyle has been living under a rock.” Darcy turned to look down at the amused boy contemplatively. “Or in his case, a mushroom.” She decided, turning back to Rogue. 

“Suddenly it all makes sense.” Rogue commented, both eyebrows raised. She raised an eyebrow at the kid, much like an older sister might to dismiss a younger sibling. Kyle stuck his tongue out at her and ran to join some other children playing soccer in a different section of the yard. Grounds? What did you call _this much_ grass, exactly? It was ridiculous. Who the hell had to mow this shit? 

“What’s up, kid?” Darcy asked, ignoring the fact that she was less than a decade older than the other girl. 

“I just wanted to check on you, make sure you were alright.” She was giving Darcy big, sad eyes and it was kind of irritating. Jane had tried that a few times, she’d learned not to do it. 

“And here I thought my storming off kind of implied the opposite of alright.” The curvy woman mused, not glancing at the girl beside her. She’d been wandering for at least a half hour, probably longer considering how much information Kyle had given her about Legos and Minecraft, so maybe Rogue was hoping she’d simply calmed down. 

“Logan feels really bad.” The slender girl continued. She wasn’t much taller than Darcy, maybe three inches, but she was willowy and appeared rather delicate, especially with the way she shied from touching other people. 

“Logan can suck it.” Darcy told her with a laugh.

“I’m serious.” She stopped, turning toward the older woman with a serious face. “Most people don’t know him like I do.” 

“Yeah, well, I don’t want to hear any of this from you. He can put on his big boy pants and come find me himself if he wants to, otherwise we’re two ships in the night with tangled nets.” She shrugged off the other girls concern and continued walking. Rogue didn’t catch up with her, apparently she wasn’t as strong willed as she might want to believe. 

Darcy made her way over to the soccer game and plopped gracelessly onto the grass, watching the kids. Kyle spotted her and waved vigorously, making her smile as she waved back, not as emphatically as he had. She didn’t want her arm to fall off after all. 

Something like a bell sounded, not an irritatingly shrill school bell, but an actual bell. Like a church or the Sound of Music. Wait, that was still a church, wasn’t it? Maybe it was a nunnery? Was that the word? No, it was a girls name! Abbey! It was an Abbey. Darcy was kind of proud of herself as children surrounded her, offering her hands up because she was alright in Kyle’s book. 

“Calling in the sheep for the night?” She asked, becoming amused by the blank and vaguely incredulous stares the kids all gave her. 

“I told you.” Kyle told his peers before looking at Darcy. “It’s the dinner bell. We have to go wash up and head to the dining room.” She shrugged and followed them, not really sure what else to do. She had the sinking feeling that they were spending the night here, considering how late it was becoming and the drive they’d had to get here. Natasha was waiting for her at the door, a small blue duffel bag with Power Man on the front hanging from her fingers. Darcy stared at the bag for a moment and the looked up at her friend’s blank face. 

“Sometimes I really hate you.” She informed the woman, taking her bag and filing in behind the kids. 

“Would you like to see your room? Ororo showed me where it is.” Natasha offered. Darcy sighed and nodded her head. She was upstairs in the corner, apparently nowhere near Natasha’s own room. It made her more suspicious. 

“So did I pack this, or did you pack this?” She asked as she entered the sparse room. It looked a bit like a dormitory with it’s sparseness, but then she supposed that guest rooms didn’t need to be inviting. 

“A bit of both,” Natasha told her, a slight grin to her lips.

“You knew I’d fight the dragon while inebriated.” Darcy commented, shaking her head but smiling a bit. Natasha quirked an eyebrow at her, grinning a bit. “I suppose all of this is for my own good?” 

“And for Logan’s. At the very least, he needs to get a decent look at what he’s going to be missing.” Natasha agreed, lounging in the only chair in the room. 

“How long are we here for?” Darcy asked, sighing. 

“Until tomorrow. The meeting was real, planned weeks ago. We need backup in place in case things go bad.” Natasha told her evenly, her gaze serious. “There are too many things focused on New York City and the ridiculous tower Stark declared as home of the Avengers. Everyone gets burnt out eventually,” 

“I’ve been saying that for a while, now.” Darcy agreed. 

“We’ve been listening.” Natasha cocked her head back a touch, inspecting the girl before her, playing with the zipper on a blue bag which had survived most of her childhood. Little had survived Darcy’s childhood. She needed good things, true things, and she had thrown herself head first into working with Jane after she’d graduated, dealing with the London Incident without a second though. Taking over the labs and then realizing she could delegate most of her work to people who knew science better than she did so she could do other things, things which might seem silly to those who didn’t understand the power of the populace at large. She had taken over their social media because she’d been offended by comments on twitter. She’d fixed it, then gone on to Tumblr and Reddit and Facebook and more. She’d commented back, given updates, made them seem approachable, likable even. Darcy had turned public opinion around on them every time it started to go bad, a feat which had Pepper offering her a contract and giving her more money than she probably knew what to do with since they had ensconced her in the tower with them rent free. Darcy had adopted the Avengers as a whole, and she’d never treated them as anything more or less than a friend. Most of them had very little experience with that. They owed her. Natasha owed her. 

Darcy continued to fiddle with the zipper on her bag, not looking back at Natasha. She was giving her a chance of some kind, apparently, but Darcy didn’t know what to do with it. She was lost when it came to personal maneuverings, most of the time. It was why she’d drifted in college. It was why she’d never had a relationship which lasted more than a few months, and why she had never really been in love with any of them. Her mother had thought she loved her father, but he wasn’t her soulmate and she’d met him when Darcy was two years old. He hadn’t wanted kids. So Darcy was left with a brokenhearted man who, a short time later, began taking his rage out on her. Relationships worked out between those who weren’t soulmates, she’d seen the proof of that, her parents simply weren’t in that statistic.

Years of physical and emotional abuse had worn on the girl, but she’d learned early to mask it with false bravado and a wicked tongue. She was smart, smart enough to know the only way she’d get away is if she got the grades to get into a good school, a school big enough no one would question her staying through every holiday and working her tail off in whatever job she could get. She’d done everything from work as a barista to sorting packages at the local UPS to working a cash register at the local deli. She did what needed to be done, refused to look back, and when her father died in an alcohol fuzed haze, she wasn’t surprised and wasn’t actually sad. There wasn’t a lot left, the house had been a rental, the truck was a piece of crap, and she wasn’t sentimental enough to want anything from her miserable childhood. So it had been donated to charity and left behind to rot in her past. 

But her past was never really gone, it crept up on her now and then, reminding her why she hid behind her headphones so often. The first time Darcy had known, without a shadow of a doubt, that something was right, was when she met Jane. Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis were meant to be bosom buddies for life. They just got one another from the start, it had never happened before and suddenly Darcy _got it_ , she got why girls giggled and called one another bff’s and had sleepovers and all the other things she’d found ridiculous growing up. She had a place with Jane, she had a place forever. Even when they found one another ridiculous, there was a deep, abiding love. Maybe it was because both of them were so lonely and neither was willing to admit it. Either way, they were kind of a package deal now and forever more. 

“Why was he even there?” She didn’t need to explain, Natasha knew what she was talking about. 

“Dr. Hank McCoy, he’s a mutant and one of the science teachers here. He is also a big fan of Jane’s work, but with things how they are people didn’t feel it was safe for him to travel on his own. Not when his mutation isn’t one which can be hidden.” Natasha explained evenly. Darcy vaguely remembered the big blue dude with the fur, she’d wanted to pet him, but figured since she didn’t know him that well it might be considered rude. Damn, that implied Logan was loyal. Well, she’d kind of already figured that out.

“I’m not going to apologize. He was a jerk and he hurt my feelings and I am angry.” Darcy informed the other woman with a sigh that was sadder than she could have wished. Natasha was on her feet with an arm around the younger woman’s shoulder, her chin resting against Darcy’s temple as she tried to comfort her friend. 

“Would you like me to shoot him?” Natasha’s voice was compassionate and Darcy blinked, realizing she was completely serious and that it probably wouldn’t affect him for more than ten minutes or so. 

“Maybe later.” She told the assassin, completely serious. 

“All right, let me know, I’ll be happy to assist.” The purr in Natasha’s voice said everything. The woman liked violence the way Darcy liked frosting; more was always better. 

“Dinner, I guess.” Darcy sighed, this time it was gusty and not so sad. She could do this. She could be perky and tough and not let this get to her. She could. 

“I will be there with you.” Natasha reminded her, turning her about by the shoulders and guiding her to the door. Darcy huffed out a chuckle and allowed herself to be manhandled into the hall and down the stairs. 

Dinner could have been awkward, but Darcy discovered she was allowed to sit wherever she want and an excited Kyle waved her to him and his friends. She spent most of dinner describing the “Avengers At Home” and how it differed from who and what people thought they were. Then she used her practicality to figure out awesome ways to spin people’s talents (they had to rehash her reasonings behind the word, first) and come up with great ways they could use them to fulfill whatever dreams were in their little heads. 

After dinner, she couldn’t avoid everyone, and by everyone she meant those closer to her own age. The adults table had noticed her absence, it was hard not to when the table of elementary school kids she was with spent half most of the meal chattering excitedly at increasingly higher decibels. Apparently she had somehow passed a test, though, because no longer was she receiving distrustful looks and accusing glances. People were smiling (shocking, really) and telling her good night. Maybe it was because she was nice to the kids? Anyone who wasn’t, though, was a dick. They were _kids_ and her own childhood had shown her you needed to give them things to believe in and people to trust otherwise they were going to end up cynical, depressed, and lonely.


	11. Swing Life Away by Rise Against, Finale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last part, folks

Darcy ducked as many people as she could and slipped upstairs after dinner. She found her iPod and headphones before quickly deciding staying in her room would mean people could find her and she would have nowhere else to hide. So she slipped downstairs and out the first door she could find, tucking in her earbuds and putting on her “with a glass of red wine” playlist. She needed smooth and soft right now. She found what was apparently a rose garden, though it wasn’t lit so she wasn’t entirely sure that was what it was. A stone bench called to her and she tucked herself in the corner, bringing her knees to her chest so her heels could rest on the seat as she stared at the stars instead of the shadows of the roses. 

A few songs into the playlist someone joined her. She didn’t bother looking, she knew it was Logan. He was huge and took up more than his fair share of room on the bench. He got bonus points for not trying to talk to her. She let the music fill up her empty spots, staring at the stars for a while longer. Soon, though, her curiosity got the best of her and she turned her head to the side, resting her cheek on her knees as she stared calmly at the man beside her. He turned in her direction and cocked his eyebrows questioningly. She took a deep breath and contemplated him for a moment, chewing on her lower lip in a way she hadn’t since high school. She paused her music before pulling the out her earbuds and slowly wrapping them around her iPod. 

“I’m an ass.” He told her, she didn’t look up from her iPod. Her chin was on her knees, her wrists on her ankles, the silver object being fiddled with in her fingers. 

“I noticed.” She told him, a lopsided grin fluttering across her lips for a moment. 

“I’m not really good at first impressions.” He admitted, chuckling. She shifted her eyes to the left, watching him rub a hand across the back of his neck. 

“Or second, or third.” She added, looking down again. Without anyone else here she didn’t have enough fight in her to prove herself tough. She didn’t really need to, though. She didn’t owe him anything. 

“I deserve that.” He sighed heavily, leaning back against the bench, his hands draped in his lap. They stayed silent for a little longer, neither knowing what to say, until Logan began speaking again. “I’m not good at this, at people. Maybe I was once, though I kind of doubt it. I have no memories from before a few years ago, but apparently I fought in a lot of wars, including the civil war. Doesn’t matter what age you are, doll, I’d still be a cradle robber.” He leaned forward now, clasping his hands together, his elbows on his knees as his fists dropped lower. 

“You know, I’d have understood if you just introduced yourself and said you didn’t have time to get to know me, or that you had no interest in getting to know me. I’d have understood a lot if you’d at least been polite. Hell, I kind of understand why you did what you did now that I’m here.” She uncurled herself, putting her hands in her lap and her feet on the ground like a big girl. They were stuck in silence again, this time she was the one that broke it. “How’d you find me?” 

“”I asked Chuck,” Logan told her. Chuck, as in Charles, as in Xavier. Damn, she should have thought of that one. Well, she was allowed one miss now and again. There were hard conversations they probably needed to be having, discussions on life and views and what to do in case of emergency, and who the hell knew what else, but neither was comfortable at the moment. 

“Super healing is pretty nifty.” She told him after a few moments, turning her head to look at him curiously. He frowned a bit, his face vaguely confused as he looked at her.

“Nifty?” He asked. She cocked an unimpressed eyebrow and she shrugged his shoulders, as though to agree that he would just go with it. “Not as _nifty_ as these bad boys.” He made fists and three claws shot out of each hand. She reached over, petting a finger over the base of the claws, where the metal met flesh. 

“Does it hurt?” She asked. He considered it for a moment. 

“Stings a little, but it’s gone in seconds.” He would have shrugged, but he was watching her fingers. No one touched the claws. It sounded silly even thinking the words, but … people weren’t tactile with him. He had to hide his claws to calm people down and here she was petting them. She was a strange woman. Speaking of strange. “A hedgehog?” He cocked an eyebrow at her and she couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled up. 

“Somewhere in the world a PETA member had a massive coronary and didn’t know why.” She told him, still smiling as she twisted around to face him, leaning back comfortably. 

“No animals were harmed during the making of this threat,” Logan said, waving his arms half heartedly. She laughed again. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, he’s got jokes!” Darcy poked her toe against his calf, grinning. 

“Doesn’t happen often, the kids think I’m too old.” Logan told her, grinning himself, but not looking at her. Weren’t they just two peas in a pod, though. 

“I’d take that to heart, dude, these kids seem pretty smart.” Darcy told him, still smiling. He glanced over at her, one eyebrow raised. She realized suddenly that she was reading his tiny facial tics as though they were part of the conversation, she had been for most of the day. He’d been responding, though, which meant she was interpreting them correctly. Well, hell, she couldn’t read Clint or Natasha a third as well and she’d known them a lot longer. Maybe there _was_ something to this. 

“What is it?” He asked as she stopped smiling and stared at him with concern in her big blue eyes. 

“I think I get you more than I thought I would.” She told him, breathing deeply as various ramifications began sifting through her brain. 

“Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?” He asked her, curious. She shook her head; he’d asked the wrong question. 

“It’s just a thing.” She told him. “At least for now. Maybe forever. Maybe just for a little while, I don’t know. Usually what I don’t know excites me. This time it just … I don’t know.” 

“Thanks for clarifying that for me.” His dry tone didn’t stop her from noticing him glanced down at where her hand was still covering the back of one of his. He slowly let his claws recede back into his hands, the holes closing so quickly they didn’t even spill any blood. His body was so used to the motions it didn’t waste the energy any longer. 

“If anyone needs clarification, it’s me.” She informed him, kicking him in the calf this time. He turned an incredulous look on her and she made a mocking mimicry of it back. “You are the one who was running all dry ice on me until you suddenly decided to behave like you’re partly domesticated.” 

“You know I’m not actually an animal, right? It’s just my codename.” Logan told her, his face blank as he sorted through her words. 

“I call it like I see it,” She informed him archly, echoing back his own words. 

“Most of the people here would agree with you anyway.” Logan shrugged, turning around a touch to gaze back at the school, something indefinable in his eyes. Darcy didn’t like it. She twisted around so she was up on her knees on the bench, a little taller than him now. 

“The rest of the people don’t matter. _I_ matter.” She informed him, her finger under his chin as he stared at her with a touch of incredulousness. She arched both eyebrows, daring him to argue. He didn’t say a word. “I am your soulmate. I am the one person the universe or fate or whatever thing gives us these marks, says will stand beside you and accept you no matter what dumbass thing you choose to do. From what I’ve seen so far, you do a lot of dumbass things, so you’re lucky I’m an understanding sort.”

“Chuck is an understanding sort, you’re…” Logan paused for a moment.

“Yeah, you might want to think hard before you finish that one.” Darcy advised, her tone understanding and condescending all at once. 

“Trust me, I am.” Logan told her, closing his fingers around her wrist and gently pulling her hand away from his chin. 

“Good. What’s the point of having a brain if you don’t use it? You react to things as soon as they happen, lashing out with whatever emotion you feel right that second. Me? I don’t react until I’ve thought things through most of the time.” Darcy told him, trying to figure out where their puzzle piece edges might match up. 

“So the coffee cup?” Logan asked, a faint grin on his face.

“Extenuating circumstances.” She shot back instantly. “I might let you attack me, but I certainly won’t let someone attack my friends, especially when they aren’t around to defend themselves.” She returned, not budging on that point. 

Logan watched the young woman for a moment, wondering if she realized just how much she’d given away with that statement. She protected her friends, but she didn’t protect herself. She would defend him, apparently, but she wouldn’t defend herself. Maybe she needed someone to stand up for her. Logan could do that. He was used to being the strong one. The one at the front of the team, taking the fire and blame and doing his best to not care when he got all the flack when the rubble settled. She had basically told him she’d forgive him for all his stunts, that was more than anyone else had ever offered to do for him, and certainly more than anyone truly meant. This little pixie of a woman fully intended to protect him. He could see it in the fire of her eyes and the mulish pout of her lips. 

“You aren’t going to make this easy, are you?” He asked, a grin cracking across his face once more. 

“You’d be bored if I did.” She started grinning herself, twisting her wrist around so that she could clasp his fingers with hers. “Darcy Lewis, Scientist Wrangler and Avengers Social Media expert.” She told him. 

“Logan. I teach self defense to bunch of not so defenseless kids.” He told her, gripping her fingers a little tighter. 

“Emotionally defenseless for the most part, good kids though.” She added, thinking of Kyle and his friends. 

“Some of them are brats.” Logan informed her.

“You’re a brat.” She shot back, instantly decided that she had been mature enough for the evening. 

“Are you serious?” He demanded, his voice deepening a touch as he stared at her. She cocked an eyebrow and tipped her head to the side. 

“Hell yeah I am, and you owe me coffee.” She informed him, climbing off the bench and staring at him expectantly. 

“What, right now?” How the hell had he gotten matched with this crazy woman? 

“Yes, right now. Hop to, chop chop.” She clapped her hands together and he stood up, staring down at her as she craned her head back a bit. 

“Do you know what time it is?” He asked, starting forward despite himself.

“Coffee time, let’s go.” She walked beside him, close enough that if she moved just a hair they might brush hands. 

“Fine, let’s go get you your coffee.” He reached out. Their fingers entwined and he sped up, forcing her to half jog to keep up even though she was now laughing. They made it to the garage and he pulled down a helmet, holding it out to her. Instead of balking Darcy pulled it on, snapping it under her chin. Logan threw a long leg over his motorcycle and held out an arm, but Darcy was already climbing on behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He grinned, pulling on his own helmet and starting the bike. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.


	12. When I Grow Up by Pussycat Dolls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> lighthearted and fluffy :)

Darcy danced in place, shimmying and shaking as she set all the ingredients for her amazing treat on the counter. Banana’s, Nutella, Chocolate and vanilla swirl ice cream, and one industrial sized blender. The last one was just because she could. Why the hell not take advantage of Tony’s ridiculous kitchen accoutrements? It’s not like they would get used if she didn’t give them a little attention now and then. 

First things first, she added the ice cream and started blending right away. Why bother adding milk if you were using a dairy based solid which could easily be a liquid? Sure, you could melt it, but blending the ice cream on it’s own was good enough, usually. She tossed a few large globs of nutella into the blender along with another scoop of ice cream, spinning in place to Mika, bopping her head from side to side. 

It might not seem like much to an outsider, but Darcy didn’t get a lot of time in this kitchen to herself. Not only that, but she almost _never_ had time in the morning. Usually she was coercing and cajoling irritable scientists into doing actual work instead of trying to take over the universe. Well, to be fair most of them just wanted to do something small, like take over Manhattan or New Mexico. Bruce behaved, most of the time, but his morning grunting because he couldn’t speak before his third cup of Matcha Tea tended to freak out the interns and various other lackeys. 

Today, though, they were out! Out at a meeting in a whole other state! Darcy was free to have an actual break (okay, she totally had breaks, but they were three minute breaks where she had to step away and breathe and get someone something to eat before she punched them in the ear for being whiny, so it didn’t really count) and Darcy was making a sweet treat she wouldn’t have to share. 

Actually, looking at the blender as she added a banana to the beast, she was pretty sure she wouldn’t be able to finish all of the milkshake. She planned to give it a good try, but some of it might need to be saved for later. Could you save milkshake for later? Did you need to reblend it once it was frozen? Could you just melt it? 

She shrugged, deciding she would worry about it later. For now she was just going to be happy with devouring as much ice cream as she could, because it was what she wanted to do. Maybe she’d bake later. She loved baking, didn’t have nearly enough time to do it, though. Muffins, cookies, or brownies? She’d see what the mood was later, once she’d hit a few more piles of paperwork and killed them dead with pure awesomeness. 

She tossed in one more scoop of ice cream and let it blend for a moment longer before turning it off and pulled down a large cup. She slowly started to pour the thick, pale brown (not quite tan, so she couldn’t use that word) goop into the cup, her tongue pressed against her teeth as she watched it, being extra careful not to spill even a single drop. 

“That looks delicious.” A voice commented, something wistful in the tone. Darcy glanced up in time to watch a man with blond hair and wide shoulders drop a large green bag on the ground before pulling himself up on a bench. 

“I guess my literal milkshake really does bring all the boys to my metaphorical yard.” Darcy grinned at him. His eye bulged and she raised her eyebrows, making a sound of intrigued surprise. She decided to let him chew on her words for a moment as she turned to pull down another cup. It was a good thing she’d made enough for two (well, four, but they’d want more). 

“I’m Steve Rogers.” He told her, a tired smile on his face as he extended a hand. He’d been out and about for the last six months, ever since he’d taken the hellicarrier shaped wrecking balls to DC, searching for the Winter Soldier and taking out as many Hydra bases as he could along the way. 

“Darcy Lewis.” She gave him a brief handshake and then replaced her fingers with one of the glasses. “You look like a comic book character. I didn’t know they made real people built like you.” She mentioned, stabbing a straw into both their drinks before she started to clean up her mess. 

“I … thank you?” He was grinning again, faint smudges of purple under his eyes. 

“Don’t worry, it’s a compliment.” She assured him with a smile. 

“I like comic books.” He offered a moment later. Darcy smiled widely, and thus began a four hour conversation in which milkshakes were devoured, rhubarb muffins were made and devoured, cookies were shared with anyone walking through, and Steve made meatloaf and mashed potatoes for dinner.


	13. Rolling In The Deep by Adele

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angst, Drama, hurt/comfort, mention of molestation. This one is a little different folks!

Darcy yanked hard at the rope around her wrists, attempting to ignore the burning, scraping, _painful_ sensation it was causing. She ignored, too, the liquid slowly rolling down the sides of her hand. She knew what that was, she just didn’t want to think about it. 

She glanced to her left, her best friend, pseudo-boss, and occasional roommate was still passed out on the relatively clean concrete floor of the storage container they’d been stashed in. Not an ocean container, thankfully, those had wood floors. Jane was brought for science, not to be messed with. Darcy was brought to keep the scientist doing what they wanted. Darcy could be roughed up, Jane shouldn’t be. It was also why Darcy’s shirt was ripped down the front. They hadn’t done more than touch her over the bra, but that was more than enough to make her feel skeevy and disgusting. She needed to shower, wash the stink of those hands off of her. Six hours, give or take. If they were here a full day who knew what else these men would assume they could do to her. Do to Jane.

She had to get them out of this. The thugs hadn’t said one word to them about _why_ they were attacking, just stole them away and smacked them around when they asked questions. Pissing off Darcy like that just meant you were going to get more questions asked of you. So she was pretty sure she would look like shit tomorrow, if she didn’t already, because the bruises will have set in and that would be that. Fuck them anyhow. 

Footsteps made her jerk her arms harder, attempting to pull a wrist free of the tight bonds. Scrape of metal outside, she didn’t have much time. More scraping, apparently they lock was sticky, it was all in her favor, though, so she wouldn’t complain. Finally a click which echoed through the door and then the door itself was moving, dim lighting making her narrow her eyes. One more yank, and her wrist slipped free as the door opened fully. She launched herself at the person, rolling with them into the hall with no real thought of what she would do after that. 

She was backhanded, fire exploding along her cheekbone as she crashed sideways. Neither of them made any noise, she didn’t want to get caught, he was likely afraid of punishment should he fail at keeping one lone non-combatant in line. Too bad for him she fell on the same side as his weapons holster and she’d been training with Thor long enough to know sometimes you had to take what you wanted. She had the gun released and in her hand, the pommel slamming into the man’s temple and knocking him back, his eyes fluttering shut. The choice between shooting him and just making sure he was knocked out was an easy one for Darcy, she hauled her foot back and kicked him solidly in the same temple she’d hit. Hopefully he’d be down for a while. 

Back into the little storage locker to pat Jane’s face until she opened woozy eyes. Darcy smiled at her friend, or at least tried to, it hurt to move the muscles in her face. Jane mumbled, her eyes moving left and right in confusion. The younger woman just manhandled her friend, trying to get the woman’s arm across her shoulder so she could maybe stumble them out of wherever the hell they were. Holding Jane and the gun was difficult, so Darcy shoved the gun in Jane’s coat pocket, buttoning it shut, knowing she would just shoot herself in the thigh if she shoved it in her pants. 

Down the hall, levering herself against the wall, most of Jane’s weight on her own shoulders. She had no idea what they’d drugged her with, she was just glad they had thought Darcy weak enough to give in to a little physical aggression. Maybe a lottle. Whatever, she was planning to win this battle, and she had very firm plans to send Thor in to win the freaking war. Maybe Tony, too. He’d be down for it, he hated being left out anyway. 

Emergency stairs. Her eyes darted to the far side of the hall and then to the door just ahead of them. Were the stairs on an alarm? Did they have cameras? Just because you couldn’t see the cameras didn’t mean they weren’t there. She’d learned that the hard way in the Tower, Jarvis saw all and there was no bribing him with sugary goodness. 

Her head was throbbing, her sides ached, she was pretty sure her bra, which had already been on it’s last legs, was committing mutiny and stabbing her with underwire, and Jane was getting heavy. This was going to suck. They had two options: up or down. Darcy chose down, because up was a whole other level of scary and she was getting tired just contemplating the climb. 

She half dragged Jane down steps, the petite scientist’s feet tangling with each other on steps and sending Darcy stumbling into the wall. She was going to be a solid line of bruising on her right side, she just knew it. She couldn’t stop, though, couldn’t take a break. Not when she was leaving a trail of smeared blood on the walls every time they knocked sideways, not when someone could see the guard she had dragged into their cell. Not when they would be so easy to chase down. She had to get as much distance between herself and the dudes as possible. Three floors, four, five, seven, nine! Nine floors down. Where the hell were they? 

Darcy stared at the door and took a deep, fortifying breath before she slammed her hip into it, turning and pulling Jane through at the same time, covering her friend with her own body, just in case. Nothing. Darcy glanced over her shoulder, no one was there. It was another dimly lit hall. Darcy felt the sob build up in her chest, she couldn’t let it out though. If she started she might not stop. 

“Darcy, wha?” Jane was still too out of it, she had to protect Jane. Thor was her bro and Jane was her best friend, the first person she’d ever felt deserved that title. No way was she letting _anything_ happen to her. She fought down the sob and tried to smile again. Jane was focusing on Darcy’s face, though it was obviously hard.

“I’m going to get us out.” She promised. Jane stumbled alongside her, her weight still being held up by the younger woman who wasn’t much bigger than Jane herself. Petite was awesome when you had a big, strapping hunk of man meat around when you were drunk, it wasn’t awesome when you were the one who had to be hauling someone. 

Another door, Darcy checked the handle and opened it, noting the number. They were in an office building, one who’s company had migrated after the Chitauri invasion of New York, no doubt. Nothing there except a wide, empty expanse and a few pieces of broken office equipment. They were on the ground floor, though, so there had to be a way out. Somewhere. Nowhere to hide Jane and they had to have been discovered. 

Darcy helped Jane sink down against the wall, her friend trying to make more words, but the drug hadn’t worn off. The younger woman reached forward, pulling the gun out of Jane’s pocket and smiling sadly at her. 

“Stay here, I’m going to lead them off. Get out, Jane. You can do it.” Darcy gently brushed golden brown hair behind Jane’s ear, her blue eyes avoiding Jane’s brown. 

“No,” It was a soft plea, but it meant Jane knew what Darcy meant. The darker haired woman stood up, gun in her grip, and double checked that the safety was off before she left the area, closing the door quietly and brushing her wrist along the wall some more. It stung, but both wrists were basically a neverending ache, so it was fine. She found another staircase. Good. They can chase her up another floor. She went up, and then she was back out, leaving a blood trail and daring them to follow her. She ended up in a back corner and looked out the window. Police officers. A desperate laugh bubbled out of her as she started pounding her fist on the glass. They didn’t turn, didn’t even look her way, but the door behind her opened. 

Four men. She turned, putting her back to the glass and staring at them with a blank face. 

“Where is she?” The man in the center asked calmly. Darcy said nothing. “We were already going to do this the hard way. You’re just making sure we don’t regret it.” He started moving forward and Darcy lifted her gun, technically their gun. Her hand was shaking the tiniest bit, but she was aiming for center mass, so hopefully it wouldn’t matter too much. 

“Put the gun down, girl.” One of the other men told her, moving forward with hands outstretched, the other three pulled their own weapons. 

“I’m a woman.” She informed him, her eyes starting to fill with tears. This, right now, was the scariest moment of her life, she was allowed to get weepy. 

“Where is Dr. Foster.” The calm man was speaking again, his gun trained on her and his eyes cold. A tear slipped down her cheek. She had no idea if the team was near or far, they had to know that the science gals were missing, though. Thor, at the very least, would notice. She lowered her arm. Getting shot wouldn’t help Jane. 

“My name is Darcy Lewis and I am a person, not a thing.” She informed them, dropping the gun. The man who had called her a girl snatched up the gun as one of the others backhanded her, sending her thudding against the glass. What was with the backhand? Maybe Vivian was right, maybe they took boys aside in high school and taught them just the right angle to send blinding pain through the face. She realized suddenly she might not be able to watch Pretty Woman ever again and she stood back up, deciding she could be tough for a little while longer. 

“Stop. Hitting me.” She told them, setting her mouth in a mulish line. 

“Where. Is. The. Doctor.” The calm man demanded. 

“In a little blue box far away from here.” She informed him, knowing as soon as the words slipped out she wouldn’t regret them as much as she probably should. One of the men grabbed her arm and yanked her forward, his fingers steel bands digging into her bicep. She was stopped directly in front of the calm man, who gripped her cheeks hard in one hand and pressed the nozzle of his gun into her temple with the other. 

“I don’t find you cute and I don’t need your body to make your little friend work.” He told her, his voice still frighteningly calm. She told herself not to cry, don’t let them see you cry, but another tear fell anyhow. If they were here with her then they weren’t with Jane, that was what mattered. 

“Then why did you take me in the first place?” Darcy mumbled through a mouth held rigid. Her cheeks ground against her teeth, but she would not be silenced. Fuck him.

“We didn’t have time to hide a body and you could have been useful as a tool.” The way he faked a frown when he said “could have” told her she was no longer useful in the least. Maybe his dumb ass should have drugged her too, made her complacent. Maybe they should have done research on the assistant. If they had, they’d have seen that there was no way Darcy would ever leave Jane behind. Darcy didn’t like leaving anyone behind, mostly because she was so used to being left behind herself. They just needed time. She knew Tony and Thor would find them. She _knew_ it. 

“Too bad for me.” Her tone was a little too flat to really be indifferent, but you know, there was bad shit going on and at least she’d given it a go. 

“Where is she?” He slid his gun down her cheek, bouncing it off her chin to land on her clavicle, the metal cold on the skin of her chest. He traced the line of her bra, gazing at her breasts with vague appreciation. She had an awesome rack, but it was hers. She really didn’t want people touching her anymore. Then the gun slid further down, stopping just to the right of her belly button and pressing further into her flesh. She gulped reflexively, looking down instead of at the man for a moment.

“This is going to suck.” Darcy sighed, lifting her chin and looking the man dead in the eye. 

“Not for me.” He pulled the trigger and the noise was insane. No wonder she had to wear those stupid ear things, she realized they were loud, but this was _loud_! She blinked, noises softened as her legs collapsed under her, her arm was still being held by that man though. No, now he’d let go. She fell back and she rolled her eyes up, looking out the window at the blue sky. If they were going to leave her here for dead she wasn’t going to look at their smug faces. 

As she blinked at the blue sky she noted two things. Actual things, not metaphorical things. They were getting larger. She ignored the noises from around her and focused on them. One was half red and very shiny. No, one was actually two. Tony was here. He was late, but he was here and he was coming in hot. Darcy closed her eyes, rolling to the side and attempting to curl into a ball despite the pain as a repulsor shot shattered the window, spraying glass across everyone inside. He was holding someone’s wrist and they dropped to the floor in a crouch beside Steve, who had been carried by a dude with wings. Steve had been gone for almost half a year searching for his long lost war buddy, rumor had it he had a new war buddy as well. A man with pretty wings who Jane and she had missed meeting because Science(!) had called them to Antarctica. Darcy had not been pleased by the location, but she could now tell everyone she’d been to every continent. 

“Darcy?” Steve was kneeling beside her, his shield up to cover him as the men shot at them. 

“What’s a guy like you doing in a joint like this?” She asked, hissing from the pain as a man in all black with a really shiny arm turned her onto her back. 

“You ask me that every time you see me, I think it’s my turn this time.” He told her, grinning with his mouth while his eyes widened in fear or anger. She couldn’t tell which. 

“You know me, I go where Jane goes.” She told him, not sure why she was starting to shiver. “Sh-she’s downstairs.” Darcy continued, turning her head to the side a touch, her hand flopping about instead of grabbing his like it was supposed to. “They drugged her, Steve.” 

“Thor and Natasha are coming in at the first level. We found you through CCTV footage Jarvis was keeping an eye on.” Steve told her. She turned her head to the left where the stranger was, ignoring the battle between the dudes who could fly and the bad guys. He was pressing something against her abdomen, but she hadn’t noticed, because she couldn’t feel it. His hair was a medium brown and long enough to brush the back of his collar, and almost looked like caramel in the sun. She liked caramel.

“Your hair is so pretty, don’t let anyone convince you to cut it.” His blue eyes widened, the deep furrow which had been between his eyebrows smoothed out momentarily in surprise. 

“Steve!?” She wasn’t sure if the panicked exclamation was a question or a demand.

“We’ve already called medical, they should have a bus here shortly, keep pressure on it, Buck.” Steve recited, standing up to run the few short steps to the man with the wings. Darcy rolled her eyes back over to Buck. 

“Focus on me, doll, just me. Nothing else.” He told her, his voice a gruff whisper. Darcy did as he asked, mulling the words over in her mind. 

“That’s not hard, you’re very nice to look at. I lucked out in the soulmate department.” She informed him, a half smile on her face. He blinked down at her, but didn’t smile. The corners of his mouth were tipped down, but she was pretty sure they did that naturally. 

“I’m going to press harder, it’s going to hurt.” He warned her. 

“I can’t feel anything.” She replied, still staring at his mouth. 

“Steve!” He was screaming now, and she closed her eyes for a moment, just a moment. 

“Hang in there, Darcy.” When had Tony picked her up? What was going on? She blinked.

“Miss, can you tell me your name? What is your name?” A man in a mask was demanding, his voice calm and his eyes were brown. Tony had brown eyes, this wasn’t Tony, though. 

“I am _so_ mad at you!” A voice was crying, a voice she knew well. Darcy blinked her eyes, unsure how much time had passed. There was a dull ache throughout her chest and stomach, her face hurt and her teeth hurt and one eye didn’t open completely.   
“Jane?” Darcy asked, turning her head to the left. 

“You dumbass!” Jane sobbed, sitting next to Darcy’s hospital bed. 

“You’re alright?” Darcy asked, her good eye searching Jane’s face for injury. 

“I am perfectly fine, it’s you who almost died.” Jane told her, swiping her fingers under her eyes. 

“I think I found my soulmate, though.” Darcy offered, her mouth twisting in a pained half grin. 

“You did, he’s outside guarding the door, because they won’t let more than one of us in at a time.” Jane sniffed and swiped at her eyes again. 

“I’m glad you’re okay.” Darcy told her friend, sighing as the ache began to deepen into something worse. 

“I am _not_ okay. My best friend is in a hospital bed because she was brutalized, that is not okay.” Jane informed her, wrapping one of her hands around Darcy’s nearest hand. “Don’t ever put yourself in danger for me, Darcy. Not ever again.” 

“No promises, Jane.” Darcy told her, closing her eyes with a sigh. When she opened them back up Jane wasn’t there, instead there was a large man with wide shoulders and long hair. The furrow was between his eyebrows again as he leaned back in the chair, staring at her. 

“They won’t touch you again.” He told her, his voice rumbling through the dark room like a storm. She liked it the way it sounded. “No one will ever touch you like that again.”

“I’ve had worse.” She told him, swallowing hard and looking up at the ceiling instead of him, her lips pressed together. He got up from the chair, moving to stand beside her bed. 

“No one should ever have that, no one should ever have worse.” He told her, reaching slowly forward to brush her hair gently out of her eyes. “I will make sure you are safe.” It was a promise, and usually she didn’t believe promises, didn’t trust people. Him, though, him she trusted. She knew who he was, what he had done as Winter Soldier, and she had heard the stories from Natasha and Steve. A lot of them were less than good, but she still felt that innate trust. Maybe it was because they were soulmates, maybe it was because the darkness in her matched some of the darkness in him. 

“You really do have pretty hair.” She told him with a smile, unwilling or maybe unable to share with him all her feelings right now. They didn’t know each other, that would need to be saved for later. 

“So do you.” He told her, pulling the chair closer to her bed and carefully wrapping his flesh fingers around hers, she wanted to see his bionic arm, but maybe right now wasn’t the best time to investigate, not when she was still feeling so tired. “Sleep, I will be here.” He told her. 

Steve watched from the door, wondering if fate could really be so cruel. Yet here they were, the girl who never fully smiled and the man who was trying to find himself. Bucky had needed something to anchor him, something good. He had found a soulmate, someone he could defend and protect, but he’d almost lost her before he’d realized who she was. And Darcy, well he didn’t know her well enough to know what she needed, but perhaps having someone to help watch her back, someone who could also take care of themselves, was what she needed. Captain America turned and walked slowly away, giving the two space in the quiet halls of the hospital.


	14. Light It Up by Chantal Claret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One a little less heart wrenching

Darcy sucked on her green straw, which matched the green logo on the cup, which, in turn, matched the contents. It was a warm, fall day and a green tea frappucino was exactly what the doctor had ordered, Banner in this case, and so she’d gotten one for herself as well. Now she was sitting on a table near his desk watching Tony poke at the Winter Soldier through the glass walls of their enclosures. 

“He’s almost as pretty as Steve.” She told the man. Bruce ignored her, he was very good at ignoring her, she was very good at making him stop ignoring her, though, so it all evened out. 

“I think I preferred it when you were afraid of me.” Bruce mentioned,his voice dry. 

“Lies and slander,” Darcy declared, shooting him an arched look. “I have never once been afraid of you.” She turned back to the wall, kicking her feet and sucking down more of her delicious and vaguely healthy drink.

“Right, that was the last one.” He agreed, pretending like she was forgettable. She shot him a dirtier look, knowing his game. 

“Don’t pretend I’m not memorable.” She told him, her voice a purr. She wasn’t as bad as Tony, but then if Tony wasn’t as bad as he was he might not have accepted Darcy into his life and lab. She was a good sort, adopting people as though they were kittens and treating them with a rather abrupt sort of affection that was hard to explain if you hadn’t been on the receiving end of it. He was fond of the girl just as she was fond of him, but he showed his affection through sarcasm and teasing. 

“Don’t you have work you should be doing?” He asked her a moment later, not looking up from whatever he was inspecting under the microscope. 

“I am working, I’m keeping an eye on my maddest scientist.” She told him, still watching Tony who, with the sixth sense known as supreme ego, looked up and stared at her for a moment before mouthing something.

“Ms. Lewis, Sir wishes you to join him in his lab.” Jarvis announced. Darcy raised an eyebrow at Tony, who was still looking her way. 

“Why do you call him that?” Darcy asked, decided Tony could wait for her curiosity. 

“Sir prefers that I refer to him as Sir,” Jarvis said after a moment. 

“Tony watched way too much Batman as a kid. I’m surprised he didn’t name you Alfred.” She mentioned, the left corner of her lips quirking up as she took another sip. 

“Pennyworth was on the table for some time,” Jarvis informed her. Darcy shook her head, sighing a bit.

“Have you ever tried calling him Daddy?” She asked, hopping off the table as Tony made a ‘well? I’m waiting!’ irritated face at her through the glass. 

“No, Ms. Lewis.” Jarvis could sound put upon, Darcy knew this because he did it often while speaking to both Tony and Darcy herself. She, apparently, asked too many questions. 

“Ask Tony who lit his tampon string on fire.” Darcy replied, finishing up her drink and tossing the cup in the recycle bin. She went out one set of glass doors, turned down the hall, and the went in another set. 

“You’re a peach,” Tony told her as she walked toward him. 

“I try.” She grinned and hopped on one of his tables. She had a thing about office chairs, it took effort to get them just the right setting so those who had to use them daily were happy and comfortable. It was sacred, you did not fuck that stuff up. So, when visiting people or being anywhere outside of her own office area, she sat on tables. Steve was giving her one of his “You’re better than that.” looks, probably because Jarvis really did ask Tony the question she’d forwarded. Sometimes she was sure that the AI trolled just as much as his doting Papa did. 

“What’d you need, Cash Money?” Darcy asked, grinning lazily as her feet kicked back and forth. 

“Am I street enough to be a rapper?” Tony asked, completely derailed from his thought for a moment. 

“I’m not sure you could be considered “street” at all, Tony.” Darcy replied, her voice dry as eyeballed the Winter Soldier. 

“Darce, this is my friend Bucky. Bucky, this is Darcy.” Steve introduced, deciding that she could be perceived as a threat with the way her mouth liked to shoot off at inopportune times. 

"You rock the hobo-chic pretty well, Skyfire." She told the long haired soldier, eyeing him like a cat willing to pounce on the canary with very little pushing. 

“Quit hitting on the Bionic Man and get me a grande low fat americano with chocolate shavings, would you?” Tony asked, poking at the man’s arm with something that looked a lot like a sonic screwdriver. If he had made a sonic screwdriver and hadn’t given her one, they would be having words. Wait, no … Darcy turned her gaze from the shirtless torso of a very pretty view to the jackass billionaire who’s saint of a fiancee signed her checks. 

“Jarvis, what’s my title?” Darcy asked, still staring at Tony, who was ignoring her. 

“Lab Manager, Ms Darcy.” Jarvis replied immediately. 

“Oh good, I was afraid, for a moment, that I’d been somehow relegated to Tony’s personal courier.” She responded, turning her head to the side to eyeball the contents of the desk beside her. The little bottle of hand sanitizer would work perfectly. She chucked it at the genius’s head, knowing it would hit him.

It didn’t. A well muscled arm lifted and strong fingers caught the little bottle as eyes the same shade of blue as a stormy sea turned her direction, eyeing her up and down the way she’d been inspecting him. She shrugged up a single shoulder, as though to say ‘well, I tried.’ Steve reached forward and plucked the bottle from his friends fingers, glancing over at Darcy with an amused grin. 

“At least I know you speak _some_ English.” Bucky offered, still watching her. She widened her eyes, staring at him as she blinked rapidly. The sentence made sense, it made complete sense, it was very straightforward. Those were the words on her soulmark, though. So that … that was not making sense. People that looked like _him_ did not end up with girls like _her_. 

“So that’s a no on the coffee?” Tony asked, glancing over at Steve as the other man set the bottle off to the side instead of handing it back to Darcy. 

“The bottle hitting your face was supposed to be my symbolic fuck you. Unfortunately, Jason Todd over here decided to protect you.” She sent a wounded pout to the man sitting down.

“Self preservation, doll, don’t need him mucking up my arm because he was rude. From what Steve was saying, he’s always rude. You’ll have another chance.” The man assured her, grinning a touch as he moved his gaze from her to Steve and back again. 

“Solid reasoning.” She decided, nodding her head. “Tony, when you are done with my soulmate’s arm the game will be afoot. I am marking down what I owe you.” She informed the other man. 

“You got Bruce a coffee!” He told her, clearly affronted.

“I got Bruce a green tea frappuccino with no whip and I got it for him because he asked me if I was going and would I mind getting him something, too, please. He used the word please, I’m not even sure if you are fully capable of pronouncing that word, Tony.” Darcy told him, standing up and moving closer, inspecting the shiny silver metal of her soulmate’s arm as she crossed her arms over her stomach. She wanted to pet it, it was so shiny and pretty. Her mom had called her Magpie because she liked shiny pretty things growing up. 

“I can say please!” Tony snapped back, not actually meaning the bite in the words. This was a game they often played, one others were never quite sure how to join. The two hit the line between playing and all out war far too easily. 

“Sure you can.” Darcy’s snide tone was one she’d learned from Tony, and he grinned at her, enjoying their arguing. She moved around to the other side of Bucky, noticing that his eyes followed her every movement. When she got behind him and spotted the words across his right shoulder blades in her small, neat script she couldn’t help but reach a finger out and trace a line underneath him. She liked the way he shivered in reaction. 

“Wait, this is your soulmate? This? Him? James Barnes?” Tony demanded, suddenly frowning as he leaned over to see what she was doing. 

“Looks like.” She told him, tracing a bold finger down the length of her soulmate’s spine. 

“Are we sure, where is yours? We should make sure.” Tony was telling her, already standing up and loosely gripping her wrist like some kind of overprotective parent. She’d have to remember to have Jarvis show the footage to Pepper, she’d get a kick out of it. 

“It’s in a place you can’t see without me stripping, Tony.” Darcy told him, dancing away to stand in front of Bucky. He was leaning his head back, watching her contemplatively, a look in his eyes she didn’t know how to read, yet. 

“You and me, tin man, we are going to have a shovel talk.” Tony declared, giving the man a disapproving look. 

“You and me, though?” Darcy said, bending over directly in front of him and letting her shirt gape open. His eyes darted down and she saw his eyes widen a touch at a few trailing letters peeking out of her bra. “We are going to be friends, I think.” She stood back up, giving Steve a wink and sauntering out of the lab.

“What about my coffee!” Tony shouted after her. 

“Go fuck yourself, Tony.” She called back, her voice chipper. She was going to take the rest of the day and go get a mani-pedi in celebration. She had a soulmate, and he was hot.


	15. Classy Girls by The Lumineers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam is spending a lot of time being a creeper at the bar.

Moving from Washington DC to New York City was a big step, hard and easy all at once. Steve needed him more than the rest of his VA members, and he could still do the same work in NYC, but DC was the place where he felt closest to his military roots. Maybe it was a crutch, but it was a good crutch. Steve won, though. His new friend gave him a new lease on what it meant to fight for your country. Steve had become his new partner, and no way was he going to let him head off with Hydra around every corner. Nah, the big guy had taken the war straight to the source and Sam couldn't help but respect it. New York was really the only option. 

It was hard, though, because of a simple decision as it had been, he still only had Steve now. Well, maybe Natasha also, but she was called Black Widow for a reason and he wasn't entirely sure he would ever be willing to risk anything but simple flirtations. A beautiful, deadly, world renowned assassin would be either the best or worst decision he would ever make. No middle ground. Also, he was pretty sure she had something going on with Clint.

The pub on the corner, not even a full two blocks from the Tower quickly became his sanctuary. Sean O'Donell's had good food, decent priced beer, and a friendly atmosphere which drew many Stark Industry employees. It was how he'd found the bar in the first place. 

The first time Sam saw her she was standing at the bar surrounded by other women. Girl’s Night, apparently. She was laughing, sparkling, and obviously enjoying herself. He wasn't sure what drew his attention to her at first, but he kept glancing her direction and the bartender was nice enough not to laugh at him as he kept putting a fresh beer in his hand. When he went home and thought about her despite himself he would realize it was the easy way she smiled and the way she held herself open to her friends. Her mannerisms were the opposite of everything he was used to dealing with. Once he'd realized that he dismissed her as just another pretty girl and endeavored not to think about her again. 

A week later, after a disappointing week of Stark not being on site, meaning his wings wouldn't be looked at, meaning he was grounded, Sam made his way back to the bar for a drink and a moment of being just another guy. He could disappear in the crowd, not needing to worry about people snapping to attention and staring at his partner with a reverent kind of awe which usually amused Sam, but mostly embarrassed Steve. 

The girls night must have been weekly, because there was that girl again. He parked himself at the end of the bar, nursing his beer and pretending to watch the game on the screen across from him, a screen which just happened to be above that group. As the night drew on and the girls turned away all would be suitors with amused smiles he could only laugh at himself for being a fool. He left a good tip for the barkeep before making his way out and down the street to his home in the Tower. 

Two nights later she was there again. He got in just in time to hear her say "Excuse me?" In a dangerously cool tone. His eyes zeroed in on her as she lifted her glass and dumped it directly over a man’s head. A waiter walked to the bar, pulling a handful of ones out with a curse and passing them to the smug barkeep as the woman stomped out of the bar.

"Darcy's a classy kind of lady, she's not going to put up with guff." The bartender told the waiter, pocketing the cash.

"This happen a lot?" Sam asked, taking a seat. He figured he might as well dig out what information he could if he was going to keep running into her. Well, seeing her. He'd have to figure out how to keep all of this from Natasha, she'd start trying to set him up like she did Steve. 

"Darcy's a regular," the man behind the bar told him, pulling glasses out of the small sanitizer he had under the counter. "Likes to come in after work and let loose. Men passing through see a pretty girl and don't think past that. Darcy is built for distraction, she is, and I don't just mean physically." The man was obviously a fan and the woman's name was Darcy. 

"Some ladies are like that. My pop called my mom God's Great Gift. Sounds a bit like her." Sam offered before introducing himself and getting they settled into talks about New York and Washington DC. 

The next day Darcy was with a couple of nervous looking men, obviously attempting to cajole them into who knew what. The bartender, Sean, _that_ Sean, called his name and slid his amber ale over to him. 

"Darcy says she's socializing some of her scientists. The mousy one's going to bolt within the hour." Sean advised.

"They're both mousy," was Sam's only reply. He still watched though. Within the hour Darcy was walking both her scientists to the door, an understanding (though still amused) smile on her face. The waiter, Josh, owed Sean that table’s tip. Even Sam knew not to bet against Sean, but Josh insisted that when he finally did win, it would be worth it. 

The next day Darcy sequestered herself at the far end of the bar. The stools nearest her had trays on them, warning people to stay away. Sam quirked an eyebrow at Sean and the elder man gave a one shouldered shrug. The woman spent the better part of two hours staring into space and drinking a half dozen pints of Guinness. 

The pub was popular, always filled with chatting people so you could barely hear the quiet Irish pipes filtering through the establishment. Darcy, though, she she got her corner with no interruptions. When someone started heading her direction Josh would head them off and steer them somewhere else. Sam watched her from the sidelines curiously for a while before Sean asked when he planned to do something about his little crush. Darcy was just leaving. 

"Tomorrow." Sam told him with a grin, watching the girl’s retreating back. 

The following day he showed up a bit later than usual, having taken extra care with his clothing. Okay, he'd just made sure his jeans were clean and his t-shirt was free of holes before he'd put on his trusty leather jacket, but at least he looked good and was still comfortable. Darcy didn't come. Sean, called him a good kid and he was pretty sure he wasn't going to live it down for a while.

"What's with the face?" Steve asked, pausing their sparring session with a sigh, Sam wiped the back of his hand across a sweaty forehead. Steve, as usual, looked as though he were just starting to warm up. 

"Not much I can do about it, genetics man." Sam told him with a grin. Steve gave him a Look, one that made the not so retired officer a grin in defeat.

"Let me see if I've got this right," Steve said some time later, after explanations were had. Really, Sam wasn't sure why he hadn't told all of this to Steve already, you know, except for that whole part where he seemed kind of ... he wasn't sure which word he wanted to use. "You've been hitting this bar every night for over a week, without me I might add - don't think we won't be talking about that, to watch this dame while you try to work up the nerve to talk to her?" 

"That's basically it, yeah." Sam said, sighing mournfully.

"Well I'm not much use when it comes to women, but I got something that might make you feel better." Steve clapped his friend on the shoulder and stood up. 

"My missing mojo?" Sam asked, shaking his head at Steve's questioning look. He'd explain it to him later. Instead Sam stood up as well, staring at his friend expectantly. 

"Stark is back. He wants you to bring the wings." Steve told him. Sam stared, mouth dropping open before he was suddenly dashing out to run down the hall. 

"I'm getting the gear, let him know we're on the way!" He shouted over his shoulder just before sliding (literally) around the corner. 

A very short time later Sam had his broken wings clenched in his arms. Steve and Natasha had both told him Stark would probably fix them, but he'd been afraid to pin too much hope on it. Flying freed Sam in a way nothing else ever had. To have been grounded for so long after he retired ... the wings were another big part of why he'd followed Steve out of his comfort zone. He craved the clouds. 

The elevator stopped, the doors sliding open, and Steve led him down a hall lined with clear glass walls. At the end of the hall they made a left and stopped in front of a door. Steve wrapped his hand around the metal handle and left it there for a moment before the door clicked open. 

"Hello, beautiful," Tony Stark's face was filled with avarice and delight as he stepped forward with his hands outstretched. His brown eyes were glued to the wings and Sam had the sudden, silly, urge to clutch them against him tighter. These things had saved his life and so many others. They were _his_.

"It's alright, Sam." Steve told him. 

"I've been reading the specs. Did you know they used Stark Tech for these? Anyway, we can do better now, believe me, but first I'd like to look at those." Tony pointed at the metal wings and Sam slowly held them out. 

"I'll fly again?" Sam asked, unashamed of the longing in his voice. 

"Follow me, Castiel." Tony told him, deciding to show the other man where the magic would happen. For all that he ignored basic human niceties half the time, most of the time, he wasn't actually ignorant of them. In fact he was quite good at reading people, it was how he knew which buttons would get him the best reaction when pushed. 

"Castiel is white." Sam pointed out.

"Don't be racist," Tony waved him off airily, glancing sidelong at the Cap to make sure he was bothered. He wasn't. Steve was good at not giving in to Tony's games. 

"If you think I'm an angel we might need to brush up on your theology." Sam mentioned with a grin. 

“Lay them out here.” Tony commanded a moment later, patting a flat hand on a cloudy glass looking table. Sam laid them out, carefully spreading the wings so you could see all the wounds on the metal and fiber. The table came to life, blue figures and measurements, parts of specs he had seen when he’d first been told of the wings, when all of this had been a nervous dream rather than a reality he didn’t want to do without. It was hard to back away, but the genius who would make him fly once again was already ignoring him, completely focused on the contraption. 

Sam watched him for a moment before turning to Steve, opening his mouth to make a comment, a question, something. He got distracted, though, by a laugh behind another wall of glass, and his eyes turned toward the familiar sound. Darcy was in another lab, talking to a couple of people in lab coats, her hair piled on top of her head and her bright clothes a cheery contrast to their sober colors. 

“Steve.” Sam’s hands flew out of their own volition, smacking at his best friend’s upper arm as his eyes widened. He was afraid to look away from Darcy. If he did she might disappear like a unicorn or something equally implausible. “ _Steve_! That’s her, that’s the girl!” Sam was still smacking at him and Steve batted away his friends hands. 

“Who, Darcy?” Tony asked, peering in the direction Sam was staring. Sam gave his best friend a grin, grabbing both his shoulders and shaking the larger man a bit. 

“Darcy.” Sam nodded once and made a beeline for the girl. She was beautiful, she was charming, she was obviously charismatic from the number of people drawn to her, and she was _right there_. As he joined the trio the two men got quiet, staring at him in confusion while he just smiled down at Darcy. She turned a questioning look to him and his smile grew. 

“Hi, you don’t know me, but I’ve been trying to work up the courage to talk to you for about a week now.” He told her, still smiling. He didn’t know why he was smiling still, or why she seemed so surprised. “Would you like to get a drink with me?” He asked her a moment later.

Darcy, for her part, stared at the man with wide eyes and a slack mouth. She hadn’t noticed him at all and she’d always assumed she would spot her soul mate and somehow find his nervous gaze adorable. This man, with the muscles and the Army t-shirt, he didn’t seem the type to get nervous very often. His smile was charming, though, and his eyes warm. Her voice was stuck in her throat, though. He tucked his hands in his pockets and shrugged a bit.

“You think it over, I’ll be in with Richie Rich if you make up your mind.” He turned and started walking toward the other lab, his step confident. 

“Coffee is my lifes blood and I’ve got a break coming up …?” She trailed off, her voice a questioning tone. Sam froze, those words circled his upper arm in smooth, flowing scrawl which was as familiar to him as his own face. He turned and found that she had taken a few steps toward him, her eyes wide and her face alight with a sort of nervous hope. He wanted to assure her, tell her everything would be fine, but he couldn’t know it would be for sure. So instead he smiled wider.

“Sounds like a date.” Sam agreed easily. He couldn’t wait to see Sean’s face when he explained this turn of events.


	16. Beautiful Freaks - by Hot Chelle Rae

“Why are you wearing a crown?” Tony was staring down at her in confusion, a coffee cup clutched in his hand. It was three in the afternoon, but from the creases in his cheek and the way his hair was distinctly flattened on one side of his head she was pretty he’d just woken up. Since he was on day three (straight) of super science the night before, she was glad he’d napped. 

“It’s a tiara.” She corrected, looking back at the notes she was transcribing for Jane. 

“Why are you wearing a tiara.” She wasn’t sure why he was so bothered by the item, it was plastic and felt and bright purple sequins. 

“Because I can.” Also it might be her birthday and since she spent all her time around the science portion of the Avengers none of the other assistants or admins really wanted to go for coffee. She kept odd hours so she didn’t really see anyone else in the break rooms, and the Avengers weren’t actually her bros. Well, other than Thor. Thor was totes her bro. Still, it meant she didn’t really have time for a life outside of work, and inside of work all she had were the labs she ran. Jane, Erik, Bruce, and Tony Stark. Also the darling robots. She knew better than to expect her genius charges to remember special days, so she didn’t make a big deal of it. Besides, she was turning 25, not that big of a deal, right? Just a quarter of a century. She could already do all the fun stuff; drink and drive (not at the same time) and vote (sometimes voting drove her to drink, though.) 

“I want a tiara.” Tony was sipping his coffee, staring off into space. He was probably planning a new super suit in his head. It kind of made her want to doodle Tony as Edna Mode. 

“You’d make a very pretty princess, Tony.” Darcy allowed, grinning up at him. He gave her one of his vibrant smiles and wandered off to his lab, patting Dum-E on the claw as he passed him. Darcy shook her head and went back to transcribing. It was funny, she’d actually worn the tiara to work before. She’d gotten herself and Jane matching ones as a joke when they found out they were getting hired on at Stark Industries. Tony tended not to notice little things like shiny head accessories when he was in the middle of sciencing. 

“Darcy!” Jane shouted from across the lab some time later. 

“Yeah?” Darcy shouted back, not bothering to turn around or walk over to the other woman. 

“Did we have plans tonight?” Jane continued.

“No.” Darcy squinted at a word she couldn’t actually read. She suspected Jane might have gotten distracted by something while in the middle of writing and forgotten to finish the word. Also how to spell. Sometimes that happened. 

“I’m going to leave early, Thor want’s to try dim sum.” Jane called back. 

“Bring me leftovers!” Darcy told her, making a note that she would need to check on Erik at some point and make sure the man wasn’t running around outside naked. Again. It was another thing she’d become jaded to. Apparently New York City was supposed to do that to you, though, so she was on the right track. 

Jane took off a short time later and Darcy gave her a finger wiggle in goodbye, attempting to finish the stack of notes on her desk before she left for the night. She was thinking of ignoring both her diet and her wallet tonight and picking up some karmel sutra from the corner deli on her way home. She could always work it off at a club this weekend. Besides, it wasn’t like she was trying to lose weight (she happened to like how she looked) she just needed to tone a little. Maybe she’d get pizza, too. Except she wasn’t a fan of New York Style, she wanted a paper thin crust pineapple and sausage and everyone here got all up in their butts about it like she was committing some horrendous travesty. Skip the pizza. 

A man walked in holding a huge bouquet of flowers, pink lilies and yellow roses spilling across one another. She looked at them and couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across her face. They were set on her desk and Darcy pulled the card, wondering who had sent Jane the flowers. 

_Happy Birthday, Darcy!  
Stark Industries HR_

She sighed, a sad hint to the sound. How pathetic is it that the only birthday congratulations she had received were from the HR people who probably just had an auto order set up for every admin to get flowers on their birthday? Yep. This was her life. She’d gotten the requisite facebook messages, of course, from all the people she wasn’t actually friends with, just sort of knew in a peripheral way, like everyone else her age.

She could have reminded Jane last week that her birthday was coming up, but really the idea of having a four person party that was basically just herself, Jane, Thor, and Erik seemed kind of pathetic. So Darcy had skipped it. Taken the personal low road and decided to just spend the day in a tiara pretending like it was any other day. After about five minutes, it did feel like any other day, though, so she guessed it worked. The young woman pressed her face into the flowers and inhaled. She heard a soft grunt of laughter and looked up through the petals and the leaves and saw the man grinning down at her. It had been a long day, she was feeling a bit down, and so she ignored the mental filter that was so rarely in place anyhow. 

“Lilies are basically an orgasm for your olfactory glands.” She told him, clearing her throat and standing up straight again. He was giving her a look. One of those “right, this lady is crazy” looks that she usually got right before someone turned around and she never saw them again. She blinked, realizing he was A) handsome and B) seemed incredibly familiar for some reason. 

“I’m sorry, it’s been a long day. I’m gonna just,” she pointed in a random direction and headed that way. Thankfully it was toward the door to Erik’s lab so she went in there to check on him. He was asleep on his cot, a pen clutched in one hand. She felt a familiar, sad smile cross her face. She pulled the pen from his hand and set it on his desk, pulling the blanket up over him like he was a child. A child over a foot taller than herself. He didn’t stir, and she quietly snuck back out of his office, writing “sleeping scientist, shh!” on a post it note and sticking it to the front at about eye level. 

When she turned around the guy who had brought the flowers was still there, his hands in his pockets. She frowned, pushing an errant curl behind her ear as she watched him for a moment, trying to figure out what he might still need. He smiled gently at her, rocking back on his heels as he examined her head to toe. It was a little intimidating, but the zap of intimidation just led to a stiffening of her backbone. She didn’t like to be intimidated, it was why she’d tazed Thor and hit that one dude in the groin with a golf club. Sure, he’d turned out to be a SHIELD Agent hired to discreetly tail herself and Jane to keep them safe, but how was she supposed to know that?

“Look, Tony’s locked down, Erik is out of commission, Bruce is on a walkabout, and Jane is gone for the day, so if you need one of the scientists four you’ll have to come back tomorrow.” She told him, walking stiffly to her desk and starting to shut down all her equipment. 

“I was hoping I could take you out for a birthday dinner, Darcy.” He smiled winningly at her and she blinked, staring up at his face. How had he known her name? How had he known it was her … nevermind. Her eyes dropped to the card, set exactly when she’d put it. Sneaky. She looked up, an eyebrow cocked.

“Do you look through everyone’s correspondence?” She asked, her voice dry. 

“Only when it’s already open and they might be my soulmate.” He smiled affably, not the least bit apologetic. She opened her mouth again and then closed it to swallow. Holy shit, those were her words. He had said the words stamped across pelvis in bold black slashes. 

“Sure, I didn’t have any plans anyway.” She agreed, her voice faint and her eyes wide as she kept blinking up at him. 

“I’m Clint.” He was holding out a hand so she took it. She wondered briefly if she was in shock, but then she was noticing the callouses on his fingers and the way his forearms were nicely muscled and the t-shirt he was wearing hinted at even more impressive definition. She took it, shaking hands was second nature. 

“As long as dinner includes a stiff drink, I’m down.” Darcy agreed after a moment of silence where the man’s smile started to droop around the edges. 

“Done.” He agreed, brightening once more. She grabbed her bags and walked around the desk, smiling hesitantly. 

“Wait, don’t I know you?” She asked as they headed toward the elevators. Clint pressed the down button. 

“Sometimes I work with Tony and Bruce.” He shrugged and glanced unconcernedly up at the numbers above the elevator. She stared at his profile, the strong jaw, the stub nose. She liked his face, she decided, it wasn’t oddly pretty like half the Avengers seemed to be. Avengers …

“You should totally teach me how to shoot a bow.” She told him as the elevator dinged. 

“We could do that.” He agreed easily, his grin grew as the doors opened and they stepped inside. 

“I could get a purple vest so we could match.” She added, staring straight ahead as he pressed the button for the lobby. 

“It’s maroon.” He corrected her, stepping back to stand at her side, hands clasped neatly in front of him.

“Sure it is.” She agreed easily, obviously mocking him. Both of them smiled as the elevator doors closed.


	17. Best Day Of My Life by American Authors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky really isn't sure what to think about the people in the Tower.

"You, sir, have sad-face." Darcy announced as she dropped herself into a chair across the table from a man she'd never seen before. This was not actually all that surprising. Jane spent a lot of time traveling for science and as the wrangler of her Stark supplied minions Darcy traveled with her. 

The man was tall with a cleft chin, down turned lips, heavy blue eyes, and long hair pulled back in a knot. The black under armour shirt he was wearing did wonderful things for his torso. He was inspecting her the way she was inspecting him and who knew what he was making of her messy pigtails and Thor pajamas. Probably assumed she was nuts. If only he knew.

"Did someone kick your puppy?" She continued, not the least put out by his silence. This was Avengers Tower after all, unless you were an Avenger or one of their people (or an unapologetic mooch like herself) you couldn't be there. Chances were high that he wasn't a bad guy. Of course, if you'd met Natasha or Tony before coffee you might wonder.

The guy’s eyes were intense, but she was used to facing down geniuses on science benders. Yes, plural. Tony needed someone to kick his ass out of the labs when Potts was out. Darcy stepped in when she could. She dug her spoon into the bowl for a large bite of her sugary cereal and continued watching the man. He was either shy, mute, or really didn’t want to converse with her. Since she was pretty awesome (even if he couldn’t really know that yet) she decided he must be shy. It just made him more adorable. 

“Sporting handlebars now, Dolly?” Tony asked, striding across the kitchen toward the coffee machine. 

“Suck it, Mega Man.” Darcy replied, no real heat in her voice. She sucked down the last of the coffee in her Eeyore mug and held it aloft, still eating her cereal. Her new friend (he really didn’t have any choice in the matter) was watching the both of them with avid curiosity. 

“Playing with the stray?” Tony asked, filling her coffee before replacing the carafe and sitting down beside her, leaning back in his chair, his dark eyes fixed on the man before them. 

“I haven’t had enough coffee to deal with you baiting men with biceps bigger than my head.” She informed Tony, shooting a glare his direction. 

“Technically he only has one bicep.” Tony noted, eyeing the silvered arm with something like avarice. There was a thunk and he was shooting her reproving looks. She’d kicked him. 

“He has two, thank you, one just happens to not be fleshy.” Darcy sniffed her derision on the genius and finished her cereal, lifting the bowl to drink the last of the milk. 

“The bicep is a muscle.” Tony started, but the younger woman cut him off with the simple expedient of putting a hand over his mouth. He licked it.

“Ew! What are you, two?” She demanded wiping her hand on his shirt. 

“Gross, why are you wiping it on me?” Tony demanded, trying to pull away from her.

“It’s _your_ saliva, tin man.” She told him, wiping her hand on his jeans for good measure as well. 

“That doesn’t mean I want it on my clothes!” Tony huffed, hopping out of his chair and dancing around behind it as though it would give him some kind of protection. 

“That doesn’t even make sense, Tony!” Darcy shouted back, her hands on her hips as he rested his on the back of the chair, looking as though he might lift it to use as a shield at any moment. 

“Good morning, Darcy, it’s nice to have you back.” A tenor voice announced. The woman didn’t bother turning, still glaring at Tony for licking her hand and being a butthead to the new guy. 

“It’s nice to be back, Bruce. I don’t have to get dressed, there is an unlimited supply of coffee, and Tony licks your hand.” She shoved at the chair with her foot. 

“Tony.” Bruce sighed and shook his head, not actually surprised by any of this. 

“She was covering my mouth!” Tony cried.

“He was picking on the new guy!” Darcy nudged at the chair again and Tony jerked it closer to himself.

“Good morning, James.” Bruce said to the man at the table. He was given a nod in return. 

“How would you like it if I picked on you because you keep a night light in your chest?” Darcy demanded. 

“You do.” Tony reminded her.

“Oh, right.” Darcy sighed, all the fight going out of her. “I need more coffee.” James was holding her cup out to her and she gave him a bright smile as she took it and sipped happily. 

“Thank you for defending my honor.” James told her, watching her face carefully. Her eyes popped open wide as she stared at him. 

“This is James, he belongs to Capcicle.” Tony waved a hand and Darcy blinked once.

“Actually, he belongs to me. Stop picking on my soulmate.” She told the older man with a frown before turning back to the man now standing beside her. He was a big dude, probably about as big as Steve. It was delightful. 

“Mazel Tov.” Bruce informed them, raising his cup as Darcy tucked her arm around James’ and steered him toward the door. 

“You’re going to walk me to my lab so I can show you off to Jane.” She informed her soulmate.

“Yes ma’am.” There was definite amusement in his voice as he allowed himself to be dragged down the hall away from the kitchen. 

“Winter Soldier and the Lightning Sister. I should make them a robot.” Tony decided after a moment. 

“Why?” Bruce asked, already dreading the answer. 

“Human cyborg relations!” Tony crowed, laughing despite the fact that Bruce was now shaking his head in disgust. Some people just didn’t see funny.


	18. Patterns - Band of Skulls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy meets her Soulmate and he isn't at all what she expected

Technically the odds of her being on hand during one of the ridiculous super villain showdowns in New York was pretty high, and not just because she worked at Stark Industries. With the Avengers, Spiderman, various other quietly active heroes, and one of the most famous police forces in the world, New York City had one of the most active villain populations in the US. Since she worked, lived, and was finishing grad school there, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Darcy had simply assumed it would happen at work, Stark Tower was kind of a big target, after all. 

Darcy sat at a table, bundled up in layers of sweaters and bulky jackets, her head covered in a knit hat her grandmother, Nana, the woman who had raised her when her own mother split, had made for her. Her fingers flew across the keys as she worked on her thesis. Her trusty headphones blurred out the rest of the world, blasting through her playlists (made epic through blatant mooching off Jarvis). She turned her music _up_ instead of off when noise began to break through the melody, not at all amused since she was trying to _focus_ thank you very much. 

That was when someone in red and blue was thrown across the table she was using, knocking her computer sideways. She lunged, catching her future (maybe it was a little dramatic, but this was a third of her grade!) and closing it up, it had autosaved about 3 seconds ago so she wouldn’t have to add much. She shoved the laptop in her bag, threw the bag around her shoulders, and took off at a run. She knew what Superheroes being thrown around meant, and it was rarely good. 

She paused once, standing and doing a quick scan, tearing an earbud out of one of her ears so she could figure out which was the best way to run. Running was usually the best option in these cases. She intended to run, really, truly, but then she saw the trio of girls cowering beside an abandoned cab (cabbies were old hat at this, ditch the car - insurance would pay for it, and get to safety, screw all else.) and knew she’d have to run for them. 

There was a dude in a fucking bear costume, no joke, throwing cars. He was focused on the coeds and Spiderman, who had nearly cost her a rather expensive computer (even if it had been a gift from the best glow worm sugar daddy ever) and her grade, was still bouncing back. So Darcy ran deeper into trouble, racing for the girls who weren’t much younger than herself, and screaming at them to run. Two took off the last one tripped, landed on all fours, and got the attention of crazy. He laughed, an ugly, booming sound, and started toward her as she sobbed, tears making the pretty girl ugly. 

Darcy dove, lifting the girl under her armpits and shoving her toward her shrieking friends who had just made it to the police barricade. The girl took off, still stumbling and limping, she must have twisted her ankle. Darcy swung around, her hair a tangled fall of curls down her back and around her shoulders as she stared at the dude who had switched his focus to her. She narrowed her eyes, planting a fist on one hip and dipping the other hand deep into her pocket. Tazers were illegal in New York, but you know, there were loopholes she had no problem exploiting (with the help of the ever amazing Jarvis, they were bros) so she couldn’t be arrested for using one. Especially one that had been upgraded by Tony. Her hand went around it, flicking off the safety and turning it on. She just needed him to come a little closer. 

“You are one sad excuse for a teddy bear.” She informed him, projecting her voice so it would carry across the square. His smile went a little mean, obviously he didn’t appreciate her commentary. Too bad for him, she was just getting started. 

“If you want to play, little girl, so be it.” The man rumbled. He was lumbering toward her and her eyes darted left, seeing the red and blue costume zipping upwards now. 

“Really? You can’t think of an insult better than _little girl_? Your anti-feminist terminology is only mildly insulting, dude, you’ve got to work on your words. The words make the man, or in this case the uncare bear. I mean, this is New York City, home of the verbose super group, you’ve got to use some imagination” She waited as he came forward and calmly lifted her hand and shot him as he dove. A band of muscle caught her about her waist, lifting her up and away and making her drop the tazer. She threw her arms around the neck of the one holding her and whipped her head around to look down at the man in the bear suit convulsing as police reached him. 

“You’re a tiny little thing under all these layers, aren’t you?” Spiderman commented, pulling her more tightly against him as they swung across the square. “Oh wow, that was not what I meant to say. You’re very pretty, I swear, you don’t look fat at all.” He told her, setting her down and taking two quick steps back and lifting his hands up as though to ward her off. “I mean, not that there is anything wrong with being overweight, a person can look how they want to look, my own opinions matter very little in this, as I’ve been informed many a time when sticking my foot in my mouth. Like now. Foot, mouth, it’s a Spidey pass time, apparently.” He was babbling. Spiderman was babbling at her like a nervous man around a pretty girl. Darcy was staring, absolutely bemused and possibly a little in shock, as she attempted to process that the person she had always assumed would be a heinous ass for calling her fat, even if they were her soulmate, was actually Spiderman and immediately took it back because he apparently had a wonderful sense of self preservation. 

“I’m going to go now, but you were lovely to meet, job well done.” He gave a polite clap and took off, Darcy blinking at him, still possibly in shock. The police met her then, and she did the smart thing and hit the alarm button on her phone that would let Jarvis monitor the situation as he contacted those he deemed best fit to handle it. The first problem, of course, being the Stark Tazer she had used, which was technically illegal, even if she did have the paperwork. The police would have to double check all of that, Pepper would need to send over one of the patent lawyers to make sure no one attempted to keep it for evidentiary purposes, and someone was going to need to give her a ride back to the Tower. 

Three hours later Darcy got to go home, slightly steamed about the fact that her Soulmate had insulted her, apologized, and then taken off before she could say a single word to him, so he had no idea. Although, that might not be such a bad thing considering how unlikely he probably would have been to talk to her, anyhow, him being all secret identity and her being a stranger. 

“I hear you took out a furry,” Tony called as soon as she walked in, Natasha trailing behind her in her Natalie costume. Outfit. Dress? Darcy wasn’t sure and decided not to worry about it. 

“He wasn’t a furry, he was a madman in a bear costume. There’s a difference.” Darcy replied with sigh as she walked through the common area and into the kitchen, pulling the jager out of the freezer and grabbing a shot glass. 

“What is a furry?” Thor asked, a curious look on his face. He wanted to know all about Midgard, the realm which was now his home, and Darcy loved explaining it to him. He was so rarely judgmental about anything, just enjoying the differences in all of the cultures and relating quite a few of them to cultures outside of Earth that Darcy would hopefully one day get to visit. 

“A subculture interested in fictional anthropomorphic animal characters with human personalities and characteristics who like to dress as said character, sometimes it’s a sex thing, but not nearly as often as some people seem to think.” Darcy informed him before turning back to Tony. “I met my soulmate.” She informed the genius, her face blank.

“Was it Grumpy Bear?” He asked, wicked smile on his face as he watched her down the jager and pour another shot. 

“It was Spiderman.” She replied.

“Spiderman insulted you?” Thor asked, surprise and confusion warring on his open face. It was common knowledge that Darcy had been planning to punch her soulmate for quite some time do to the complex they had unwittingly given her as an adolescent. 

“Sort of. He immediately apologized. Then he kept apologizing. Then he talked about himself in third person and took off.” She was blinking, looking off in the distance, a vaguely confused expression on her own face. 

“He left after knowing you were his true partner and equal, the mate of your soul?” Thor’s expression grew thunderous, pun fully intended. Darcy grinned at her own joke, even though no one else knew what it was for. 

“I didn’t say a word.” She shrugged and sat down heavily on one of the bar stools surrounding the island, jager bottle still in front of her. She pulled her bag off and let it drop to the floor, sighing heavily. 

“Someone made you speechless? Stop the presses! This is _big_!” Tony waved an arm about, purposefully being an ass just to amuse her. He got her like that, it was nice. 

“I mean, we’re soulmates, or at least he’s _my_ soulmate, so we’ll meet again, right?” She asked, focusing on Tony and then turning to Thor with big, wide eyes as Natasha elbowed past Tony and took the jager from the girl, refilling Darcy’s shot glass before grabbing one for herself.

“Do you want to meet him again? Knowing what you do about the lives of heroes and the things that are written about them in the papers, him in particular?” The redhead asked calmly, looking Darcy in the eye as she downed her shot. 

“Jameson is a hack, the only one who doesn’t seem to realize it is Jameson himself.” Darcy dismissed calmly, downing her own shot.

“Well then, I suppose it is inevitable.” Natasha replied with a delicate shrug. She settled herself into the chair beside Darcy, crossing her legs at the knees and sending an arch look at both men. “We are going to drink to the vagaries of men, neither of you are needed.” 

“That’s sexist! I know all about the vagaries of men, just ask Bruce!” Tony demanded. 

“We would invite Bruce and Pepper long before we’d invite you if that was the case, they are the poor souls mated to you.” Darcy shot back, smirking before it fell from her face and she was back to staring blankly into space. 

“Drink and be merry, Lightning Sister, you are more than worthy of any man in any realm.” He told her quietly, pressing a kiss to her temple and resting a hand on top of her head for a moment. It never failed to amaze her how she hadn’t noticed how much she needed people. Growing up it had just been her and her Nana against the world, her mother having skipped out in search of a fix and eventually dying before the girl had turned seven. She loved her Nana with all her being, and she missed her, even if she had moved to a retirement community in Florida to be a warm, happy, stereotype of a curvy old lady with white curly hair who filled her days with activities. One of them was a knitting group, Darcy took full advantage of that and Nana loved getting pictures of her wearing things she had made. 

She had gotten her soulmark a few months after she was born, so she’d known they would be about her age. The fact that it was _Spiderman_ of all people. He’d been around for years. Her age meant teenager. He’d been doing this since he was a teenager. That was _insane_. 

“He’s my age. Spiderman is only 24 years old.” Darcy told Natasha, focusing in on the redhead who was watching her with a blank face and intense eyes. 

“Not so young in certain circles.” Natasha allowed, refilling their little cups once more. 

“He’s been doing this for years. I looked him up before, just to see what was up with the articles and the interviews and stuff. He’s been a New York City staple for almost 7 years. He was 17 when he started fighting the good fight. Probably younger, actually, and someone didn’t notice that he was gone all night, that he was bruised and exhausted. He’s just kid and he’s saving the city, and he has been for years.” Darcy continued, feeling sad to her core about that. 

“Maybe he was good at hiding it.” The redhead continued. She was definitely getting Darcy drunk, but the brunette had never been good at emotions, really, so she was confused about how she felt right now and what it all meant. She was raised that you hid your emotions so they couldn’t be used against you, she’d never really gotten past it. 

“Maybe. Especially if it was just one person looking after him. Which means he probably doesn’t have siblings. Not that any of the heroes I know really have a support system.” She shot a dry look at the assassin and Natasha shrugged, filling their glasses once more. 

“We have you. We have each other. We have Jarvis. We are a family, or at least the closest most of us have ever gotten to one.” Natasha told her, apparently in one of her rare sharing moods. Darcy looked down, unsure of how to respond to such a quiet declaration of trust. 

“Who does he have?” Darcy asked, a worried crease between her eyebrows. A crash sounded from down the hall, people were talking over the top of one another and Natasha was now standing between Darcy and the noise, a gun in one hand and the shotglass full of jaeger in the other. 

“Brought you a present, Bettie.” Tony declared, wearing his Iron Man suit minus the helmet. Natasha stepped backwards and gracefully sat back down on her seat, drinking the shot as she stared at Thor, Spiderman thrown over his shoulder, and Clint, who was grinning rather smugly beside the big guy, cables wrapped around his wrists and knees that were definitely from one of his trick arrows. 

“I have rights! I am a citizen and I have rights, damnit! You can’t prove it at the moment, of course, what with the mask, but I promise you I am not lying, and no matter what Jonah claims, I have not slaughtered any babies, kicked any puppies, are hooked up with sweet little nuns. At least not this week.” Spiderman was saying, loudly, his arms moving up and down as though he was trying to talk with his hands. 

“Tony, I’m not drunk enough for this.” Darcy declared, grabbing the bottle and drinking straight from it. There was a significant amount of alcohol missing from it at this point and she was probably going to be incredibly sick later since she hadn’t eaten, but right now it seemed like the only feasible option. 

“No no, this is perfect.” Tony was insisting, pointing at the man slung over Thor’s shoulder and staring at Darcy. The web head turned his head and spotted the brunette. 

“You! With the tazer, you took down Yogi this morning, can you tell these guys I’m a good guy? Or at least a halfway decent guy?” He asked, his voice sounding amused and panicked all at once. 

“I am really sorry about this, I’m not sure it’s possible to house train them at this point.” She set down the bottle and shook her head, sighing before turning from the white lenses she could only assume hid working eyes and looked between the three Avengers.. “This is sweet, guys, I mean, more than a little concerning, but sweet.” 

“I knew we should have found a bow.” Tony told Clint, a frown on his face. Darcy blinked twice. 

“A red bow is too Christmassy, It’s only November.” Clint told him. 

“Lady Darcy, I have brought your soulmate.” Thor informed her, setting the Spiderman on his feet as Clint reached down began unhooking the metal bindings from around the other man's ankles. 

“Uh, thanks big guy, it’s appreciated. Now I’m gonna take him to the balcony so we can get to know each other and he has an easy escape route.” Darcy swung an arm around her blonde friend’s waist and hugged him to her before grabbing Spiderman’s wrist bindings and towing him after her. She had no doubt that he could pull away if he wanted to, she’d seen him lift a lot of rather heavy things in her time. He followed, neatly stepping out of the loosened metal coils Clint was working on. She towed him down the hall and into the elevator, both of them standing in awkward silence until the doors opened and they could get back off the elevator, where she led him to her suite of rooms and then out onto her balcony. Because according to Stark, everyone needed a balcony so they could look out over the world. 

“You weren’t kidding about an easy escape route.” He mentioned, surprise coloring his tone. 

“I may be kind of drunk, but I’m not a liar.” Darcy mentioned, looking anywhere but the man in the mask.

“You know, it figures that I meet a pretty lady, she ends up not being rescued, and I end up insulting her. Not just insulting her, but leaving it on her body in the most permanent of ways.” He chuckled, a strange sound slightly muffled by the fabric. 

“My teenage self is telling me to kick you in the nuts. Be glad I’m sort of grown up.” Darcy advised. 

"Oh I am, very. Trust me." Spidey agreed, hopping up on the edge of the balcony like it was no big deal. Well, given that he regularly threw himself off buildings, that was no surprise. There they were, stuck in awkward silence again. 

"I don't expect you to like, show me your face or anything. It's okay. I'd kind of like us to be friends, though. Or to try. I don't know. Maybe just come hang out over here sometimes so it's not so weird with you being in a mask?" She was babbling and not actually looking at him. 

"Wouldn't that be hard? Not telling your friends that your soulmate is Spiderman?" He asked after a few moments. She raised her eyebrows and turned toward him. 

"You just met my friends, it is pretty much all snafu all the time. Just ask Pepper." She smiled, wide and open and his shoulders slumped. 

"You remind me of someone." He told her, his voice soft and his head cocked to the side a bit. 

"Good someone or bad someone?" She asked immediately. 

"A perfectly imperfect someone." He told her, his voice sad and warm all at once. She wasn't around anymore. It was the same voice Steve used when he described Peggy. 

"You remind me of my family. Over protective creepers at times, and odd about showing affection, but they are good eggs." She smiled, looking down at the bottle in her hand. It was almost empty. Had she done that? It would explain the way everything was moving. 

"I'm a good egg, huh?" He asked, a smile in his voice. 

"I ... Oh god," she dropped the bottle, didn't notice that it never hit the ground, and raced (stumbled) to her bathroom just in time to commit glorious technicolor chaos in the toilet. Hands pulled her hat off and her hair up as she moaned pitifully into her toilet, slapping her hand at the handle until someone else flushed it for her. 

"I feel like this is sort of my fault." The voice was muffled. Her soulmate, then. Her hair was still being held up above her head and a towel was being handed to her. She ignored the towel and levered herself up to the sink to wash her face and grab her tooth brush. While she did that a man, maybe a foot taller than herself, braided her hair back. When she was done she went past him into her living room and collapsed on the couch, kicking her feet up. He slipped the shoes off her feet and tucked a blanket around her while she smiled sadly at him. 

"I'm sorry about your friend." She told him. He froze for a moment, obviously not expecting that. Spiderman wasn't like the Avengers, he was quiet and private and no one knew anything about him. Darcy was good at reading people though, and she was smart. A little over a year and a half ago there had been Electro. He had been mad. Worse, though, was Harry Osborn, also their age. He had killed a girl. A fallen officers daughter who had a bright future waiting for her. Spiderman had disappeared for a very long time after that. 

"Yeah, me too." That was definitely pain in his voice. 

"Jarvis is never going to lock you out of this apartment. You can swing by any time. Even if I'm not here. My door is always open for you. Got it?" She demanded. 

"Yeah, I got it." He seemed amused now, staring down at her. 

"I mean it. Don't think I won't send Thor out after you if I'm worried." She added. 

"I got it." He agreed. "You need me to get you anything?" 

"I don't suppose you found my dignity?" She asked, only half joking. 

"I hadn't even noticed you'd lost it, bright eyes." He assured her, taking a step backwards.

"Like I said, good egg. Call me Darcy, would you?" She craned her head around to see him since he was so obviously wanting to run away. She had a feeling he would be back, though. 

"Will do, Darcy." He agreed easily, pausing and glancing over his shoulder before looking back at her and then, without saying another word, took off out the window and leaped off the edge of the balcony, his form falling out of sight. 

"Jarvis?” Darcy asked, her voice pitched into a whine. 

“Yes, Ms. Lewis?” The AI asked immediately. 

“You know that sometimes when I’m mad I might have you lock him out, right?” She asked. 

“Of course, Ms. Lewis.” Jarvis could, and often did, sound amused. He was doing it now. 

“Remind me it’s not a good a good idea to drink most of a fifth of jager on an empty stomach if you catch me doing it again, would you?” She groaned and covered her eyes with her forearm. 

“I will certainly make the attempt.” The AI agreed easily. 

“This is why you are the best.” Darcy replied, turning on her side and pulling the blanket over her shoulder so she could take a nap. 

Twenty minutes later Spiderman came back. He crept inside and perched on the edge of the coffee table, watching the girl snore softly on the couch. His expression was hidden thanks to the mask, so Jarvis could not run a diagnostic on micro expressions and pupil dilation, but the AI still took note of the silent hero as he sat there watching his soulmate for almost a full quarter of an hour before he left. As the man did not take anything, do anything, or say anything the AI chose to use his own discretion and not report it, after all, Darcy herself had given him permission to come in whenever he chose.


	19. Rock It For Me - Caravan Palace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pure, unadulterated fluff with some baking thrown in for fun.

She didn’t do it on purpose. It just kind of happened, really, truly. No planning. She went to a friend’s wedding, a _themed_ wedding, because weddings weren’t already painful enough. Darcy preferred layered sweaters over a geeky shirt and leggings, not shaving her legs and doing her hair and forcing the girls to behave and _stay in_ a dress. She’d gone, though, because Kelly was one of her sorority sisters and they’d all had each others backs since they’d met. Even if most of them were still a little upset that she hadn’t walked with the rest of them. London, though, had been big enough to distract them from most of the irritation. 

So Darcy and the other girls had gotten dresses to match Kelly’s grandmother’s wedding dress, a stunning creation from 1942 which made the willowy young woman seem taller and curvier than she was. Darcy’s dress, black on black, sleeveless, deep v neckline, full skirt, white tulle underneath the skirt, and peep toe little black and white shoes set off her curves, her pale skin, and the bold red lips she had painted on for the night. Monique had done her hair, the girl had always done everyone’s hair for the big things, and Darcy had learned years ago to just let her do as she pleased. 

The wedding was beautiful, the reception was wild, and most of her fellow bridesmaids were ridiculously drunk halfway through. Darcy would have been as well, except Jenny, the brat, had gone off and told a bunch of groomsmen that the curvy one of the group worked with the Avengers in Stark Tower, which had quite a few of them focused in on her. It made her just uncomfortable enough that she stopped drinking, stopped enjoying herself, and tried to ignore the sudden interest revolved around the heroes who were really just normal(ish) people. Well, and one Asgardian. 

She’d skipped out as soon as the birdseed was thrown, telling the girls they should do lunch, and ended up back at the Tower by one in the morning. Instead of going to bed like a normal person would have, Darcy went into the main kitchen and dining area. Tony called it the breakfast nook, but the young woman didn’t think anything that could comfortably fit fifteen should ever be referred to as a nook. She kicked off the heels, leaving them sitting just outside the kitchen area so she could slip around on stockinged feet, and then pulled on the frilly apron Clint had gotten her after she’d made him cherry cobbler so she could “look the part” or something. 

Five minutes later her music was quietly piping through the room and she had ingredients scattered across the counter and inside of mixing bowls. She wasn’t tired. she probably should have been, but she wasn’t. So she hummed and swayed with the music as she poured her first batch into the muffin pan. She wasn’t sure it could really be a pan, seeing as it was made of silicone, but pan was the word she was used to using, so she went with it. White chocolate peach muffins in the oven, blueberry yogurt muffins ready to be spooned out and then added as soon as the others were out. They needed 12 minutes to cook perfectly, so she had time to core an apple and slice it in thin layers that would be laid out in the middle of the cinnamon streusel muffins. 

“Now I know what heaven smells like.” A deep voice rumbled from across the room, reciting the words which were written down her spine from neck to tailbone. She turned, wide blue eyes staring at the man in question. He was much taller than herself, his eyes half closed from sleep, his white wifebeater showing impressive shoulders and a metal arm. He blinked at her, his flesh hand coming up to wipe sleep out of his eyes. She’d been warned that he was dangerous, of course. Everyone knew the Winter Soldier was unpredictable, not in control of himself at least half the time, and usually had a shadow which looked a lot like Steve Rogers. The last one was missing, and since his hair, still long enough to be pulled back in a ponytail, was mussed and he had a crease on his face which looked like it was probably from a pillow. 

How could you find a grown man who more resembled a sleepy toddler at all scary? He was adorable. Also, he was apparently her soulmate. His gaze raked her form once, showing a hint of appreciation. Darcy couldn't know it, but she was practically a dream made real and he wasn't entirely sure he was actually awake. 

“Just wait until you get a load of what heaven _tastes_ like.” She told him, grinning unrepentantly as the timer went off. She turned, slipping gloves over her hands and pulling the bright pink silicone cupcake pan out of the oven and setting it on the marble counter before shoving in the blueberry muffins and resetting the timer. She calmly stripped the gloves from her hands and turned back around, smiling warmly at the Winter Soldier, who was now carefully inspecting each of the bowls she had on the counter with an incredibly grave countenance. 

“Need any help?” He asked after a moment, turning wary eyes toward her. 

“I would love it.” She agreed, smiling a bit brighter as she began showing him how Lewis women fed an army of heroes. Or at least how Darcy fed the Avengers when she was feeling charitable.

“Do this a lot?” He asked, glancing at her from the corner of his eye and skittering back half a step when she bustled into his personal space. 

“Nope, generally the team doesn’t deserve it.” She told him, a cheeky grin on her ruby red lips as she quirked an eyebrow as though to dare him to argue. 

“Tony?” Bucky asked after a moment. He’d been in the tower almost a month, but over two weeks of that was spent in self imposed isolation as he struggled to come to terms with what was and was not true and his ability to make decisions for himself now. It was a lot for anyone to deal with. Over the last 8 days he’d been creeping out for a few minutes at a time, not unlike a feral cat Darcy had once adopted as her own. The scrawny thing had been tattered and scarred and missing one eye and one of his fangs, but she loved him all the same and could tow him from one room to another under her arm and he’d grumble, but never fight her on it. She’d named him Happy and he’d taken to mauling anyone who got too close who was not his person. 

“And Clint, and Steve, and Thor, but you’ll learn soon enough.” She told him, shaking her head in mock despair. 

“Do I get a muffin?” He asked, his eyes darting over to the cooling batch of peach muffins which were currently perfuming the air. She grinning and went over to pop them out of the pan. The fell, bouncing softly across the marble before she picked one up, deftly broke it in half, the paper wrap keeping it from falling apart completely, and spread a dollop of butter into the steaming center. She watched it melt quickly into the soft treat and then pulled half of it away and held it up to Bucky’s mouth. He reached his hands up and she pulled hers back, arching a look at him. He dropped his hands, eyes uncertain, and leaned forward. She put her hand closer and he took a bit. The noise he made in the back of his throat was positively sinful. She grinned widely and took a bite from the other half, humming happily. 

“I’m amazed you don’t have people beating down the door with a stick. You’re a looker and you bake like an angel.” Bucky told her, swallowing the bite and looking at the rest of the muffin resting in her hand. She handed it to him and happily devoured what was left. 

“I got a tazer when I left for college, it’s quite a deterrent. Then I upgraded to a Thunder God.” The buzzer went off again and this time Bucky went and pulled the batch out of the oven, not even needing a glove over his mechanical hand. 

“Bucky, darling, I think this is going to be the start of a beautiful friendship.” She informed him, grinning widely. He smiled back, the expression a little shy and Darcy decided then and there, that even if he wasn’t her soulmate, she would have had to keep him. Thankfully she'd already bewitched him with baking, it made things easier.


	20. Need You Now - Lady Antebellum - Pt 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A tale of sadness and strength. Part 1.

Darcy had two soulmarks. It wasn’t unheard of for multiple partners, in some countries it was considered normal, even. For small town midwest it was almost nonexistent. Darcy was born with two. “Are you gonna cry?” circled her left ankle, a little scratchy looking but all hers. Also hers was “I guess that makes us soulmates, doll.” And her mother told her that all it meant to have two marks, was that she deserved an awful lot of love. 

When Darcy was in the fourth grade a new family moved in down the street. They had a little boy, Charlie, and he made fast friends with all the neighbor boys. One day Darcy wanted to play with the boys. One of them shoved her to the ground before running off, shouting that girls had to play with dolls. Charlie stayed behind. 

“Are you gonna cry?” He asked, eyeing her carefully from under a mop of dirty blonde hair.

“I’m not a sissy,” She informed him, sniffing and wiping the back of her hand under her nose. She didn’t cry though, even though her palms were scraped and her butt hurt from landing on it so hard. She was tougher than that, she’d show them all. 

“That’s what my mark says!” The boy exclaimed, happy surprise on his face. 

“Mine is what you said.” She admitted a moment later, pulling her shoe and sock off to show him the words which circled her ankle. Charlie had to pull his shirt off to show her the words written high on his back across his shoulder blades. 

“Charlie Brannon, what do you think you are doing?” His mother shouted from their porch, across the street. 

“But Ma, she’s my soulmate!” The little boy shouted back, grinning wide and showing off a single crooked tooth. His mother was already crossing the street, helping Darcy up off the ground. 

She walked the kids to Darcy’s house and introduced herself nervously. It was rare for two so young to find one another, at least in their area. And after their meeting Darcy and Charlie were inseparable. They played together, studied together, their families became used to seeing them together everywhere. If one was with you the other was close by. Maybe it was too much too soon. Maybe fate had simply known. 

The circling mark around Darcy’s arm became more and more of a problem to Charlie. He had one soulmark and he was sure she was going to leave him for this other person. He started pushing himself: Varsity running back, valedictorian, got his teeth straightened. She told him she’d never leave him. She loved him, she had forever, she _would_ forever. 

They graduated top of their class, Prom King and the girl who wouldn’t run. She knew what she wanted, he knew what he did. He was heading to state college on a football scholarship and she was going to Culver University.

Pushing himself to be the best was all well and good, but Darcy wasn’t there to see him working hard for her. He hid it well for a while, but then he was calling her three or four times a day, demanding to know who people in her facebook photos were, wanting to know what she was doing, who she was doing it with. He got upset if she didn’t answer, even if she told him she was in class. Darcy began feeling stifled and attacked, but she didn’t know what to do about it. He was hers and she was his and she wasn’t sure why that suddenly wasn’t enough for him. 

Things got better after a visit home. She calmed his fears and convinced him, for a time, that she was going nowhere, that she was his. Once they were apart again his paranoia fed into depression. Their sophomore year of college was worse than ever before and Darcy lost her temper. She told him she was starting to wonder if maybe there was a reason she had a secondary option. That he was going to be the one to drive her away. 

They were yelling on the phone half a country away from one another. Darcy didn’t mean most of it, she’d just been so _mad_. So had Charlie. Darcy cried herself to sleep, her roommate unsure of what to do to console the girl. Charlie drank a couple of six packs, got in his car, and drove to her parents house to tell them it was time to bring their daughter home since she couldn’t be trusted to behave while she was away from him. They weren’t home, so he drove around aimlessly until he ended up in the wrong lane and then the truck was wrapped around a tree, another car upside down in the ditch nearby, miles from town. It was over an hour before anyone found the accident, and by then it was too late for everyone involved. 

Darcy lost her parents and her soulmate over one stupid argument. She got mad and it was all ripped away from her. She was inconsolable for months. Her uncle took care of all the legal matters and the funeral, letting Darcy close herself off from everyone and hole up in the room she had lived in for 18 years. 

It was tragic, one of the worst things to ever happen in their county. Darcy made it through the funerals, though she couldn’t remember any details from either of them, and then she shipped herself back to Culver and refused to go back. Their stuff was put in storage, the house was sold, and Darcy retreated inside of herself. 

Somehow, through her aimless wanderings across the campus, she ended up with Jane Foster in New Mexico for an internship she didn’t even remember applying for. Two years after she thought her life had ended she began to wake up. She’d never been to New Mexico before, had no memories to destroy her sense of safety and send her back into hiding. She had Erik and Jane, not that she made much of an impact on either of them at first. Darcy had been a Computer Science major once, though, and nothing Jane wanted done was beyond the younger woman’s skill. They didn’t ask her a lot of personal questions and Darcy always kept her arm and ankle covered. Jane didn’t want to discuss the flowing, unrecognizable symbols half covering her upper back. It worked.

During the crazy space science talks Erik was dismissive of her, but sometimes Darcy caught him watching her and she wondered if he could see the gaping hole in the middle of her very being. He knew something of pain, but he obviously knew joy. He loved Jane as though she were his own child and sometimes Darcy thought it was beautiful, other times she couldn’t bear to look at them. 

Thor came and Jane had a soulmate and Darcy had tazed him and run him over, though she still held that it was mostly Jane’s fault for that last one. Everything was so heavy. All Darcy could do was run full tilt ahead, no way was she ever going to let anyone she knew go through what she had and Jane, dear sweet, bright Jane, had become important to Darcy. The younger woman was rusty, but she got through DMV security and had Thor a shiny new drivers license so they could get him out of government custody after the feebs stole their stuff and tried to get the guy, too.

Darcy hid in Jane’s shadow instead of facing the very scary real world. She graduated, but she didn’t walk. They mailed her diploma to Norway and she and Jane watched New York City get destroyed as they set on the edge of their seats, grim horror etched in both of their faces. Thor didn’t come for Jane. There was probably a reason, but the pain in her friend made Darcy dream like she hadn’t in years. She stopped sleeping, not that Jane noticed, throwing herself into her work and not sleeping herself.

Jane wasn’t just smart, she was scary smart, but she forgot normal things sometimes so Darcy helped her out, referred to herself as an intern and got away with a lot of things she should have been called out on. Like hiring Ian. Hiding from the real world. Avoiding anything and everything that had to do with romance. 

Then Thor was back and portals were everywhere. Erik was naked, Jane was gone, Jane was back, and Space Elves. Yes, Space Elves. And she’d kissed Ian. Then she’d slept with him. Afterwards she’d cried, wishing he had blonde hair and freckles on his nose. Erik had found her, but he couldn’t understand why she couldn’t stop crying. Gods, how she missed Charlie. She missed her parents and the person she could have been, the one she used to be. She missed a lot of things. The entire story came pouring out of her, like an avalanche unable to be stopped. Erik had pulled her in close and rocked her back and forth like he had done with Jane time and time again, the other scientist leaning against the wall where she’d been since only moments after Erik had found her. The next day Thor returned.

Jane dismissed Ian. She didn’t need his help any longer (she wasn’t sure she ever had) and SHIELD had offered him a substantial pay scale. Darcy was told she was coming to Stark industries with Jane in New York City to run her and Erik’s labs. Jane said Darcy needed someone to keep an eye on her. Darcy didn’t argue, especially as Jane needed someone to keep an eye on her as well. 

Darcy, Jane, Thor, and Erik ended up sharing one of the large apartments in the residential section of Stark Tower. They had introduced Erik to kilts and Thor had taken to them as well. There was something cheerful about the big blonde man in a utilikilt, snug t-shirt, and his hair clubbed back. 

Being in Stark Tower was both good and bad for Darcy. She was starting to move on in her grief, or at least acknowledging it, but not knowing most of the people all that well it was hard for others to get to know her. Not that she wanted to, she was still afraid to bond with anyone outside of their little quartet. It was too easy to lose everyone. 

“You there, with the rack, come here.” A man demanded imperiously, snapping his fingers at Darcy. She calmly lifted her right hand and flipped him off, turning and walking back out of the room. She didn’t know what he was doing in Jane’s lab, but she could go organize the mess Erik was sure to be making in his own office. 

It wasn’t the first time she’d met Tony Stark. It wasn’t even the third. He didn’t seem impressed by her, but other than a few fellow scientists and Pepper Potts he didn’t really seem to be impressed by much at all. It was, however, the first time he’d spoken to her directly and she had chosen to ignore him. Well, he could be respectful. Maybe. Actually, maybe he couldn’t. That would explain a lot of the stories she’d heard over the years. 

“Are you wearing a kilt?” Darcy asked as she entered Erik’s lab. She took in the shirtless torso behind the desk, pale skin glaring underneath the lights. They had special ordered that desk for the sake of those who hadn’t become accustomed to the nakedness of Selvig. At least it didn’t phase Dr. Banner, some of the other scientists though … 

“I was going to.” Erik started, not even turning to look at her. “The numbers are _right there_ , Darcy. Science is happening, do you know how beautiful this could be if only we could understand? I had it all in here.” He turned to look at her now, a fist with a dry erase marker uncapped in it’s grip thumped against his temple as his face screwed up into an expression of desperate longing. Erik was in a half manic state, slapping himself on the side of the head. Thor’s brother had done quite a number on him. She walked around the desk, immune to naked Eric at this point, and gently turned him back to the board. 

“You make science, I’ll find a kilt.” She told him. She didn’t give him platitudes, didn’t tell him he could do it, that he could remember secrets of the universe not meant for human minds. She never had and she never would. 

She left him scribbling across the boards, shutting the door behind her as her friend started to sing a Swedish sea shanty. The “Nekkid Science Happening” sign she’d made almost six weeks ago was put up as a warning and then she was sighing, resting her forehead on the door for a moment. She was protective of Erik, they all were. They’d almost lost him and hadn’t even known until it was too late. He had fractured something in his mind, but he was still Erik, brilliant and loud and refusing to be shuffled aside. He still cared about Jane more than anyone else in the world, and he cared about Darcy as well. He was still Erik. He just needed more of an eye on him than he used to. 

The brunette pushed off the door, knowing she had a few hours before she’d need to get him into clothes. There was a reason he had a private bathroom, not that Stark minded the nudity of course. He didn’t mind much of anything, really. Except her. 

Something about Darcy put Stark in a mood. He referred to her as “the help” most of the time. He had nicknames for everyone, but with Darcy it was a flat, unimpressed look for the most part. He couldn’t even just ignore her. She didn’t understand it, but she’d had her concerns brushed off and didn’t feel like pushing it. 

She went to the stairs, needing a break from everyone and everything for a moment. Sometimes she couldn’t figure out why she put up with anyone or why they put up with her. The moods hit her, hard and fierce and painful, and all she could do was ride it out until she was feeling blank enough to fake a washed out portrait of who she used to be.

She tucked her trusty earbuds in her ears, turned over the well loved ipod, a gift, the last, from her dad. Her thumb rubbed the back of the scratched, green, metal, right where it said “You’ll always be mine.” It was barely legible now. She flipped it and quickly scrolled for a specific composer, turning on the playlist she’d made for him and closing her eyes, her head leaning against the wall as she tried to let go of everything. 

The music swelled, the notes rising in crescendo as she tried to breathe to the music. In, two-three-four, out two-three-four. She couldn’t stop the tear that leaked from her thick, dark lashes but she kept breathing, needing that more than anything else for the moment. All the emotions that had been bubbling up were pushed back down, pushed away until Darcy could control them once more. The music helped her focus, it always had, and she used it as a tool on occassion. She had playlists for everything and everyone, it wouldn’t surprise her father if he could see her. She’d always been like this. 

But now there wasn’t anyone to pull her back from the edge she was slowly backing toward. She hid it too well. Jane wanted to help, but she didn’t know who Darcy used to be, didn’t know anything but bruised Darcy. 

The girl opened her eyes a short time later, taking one more deep breath before standing up and going back into the hall. She was pretty sure she had a kilt stashed in one of the supply cabinets for just such a day as this. 

She didn’t see the man on the stairs a flight below hers. Didn’t see the curious gaze that swept upward when the door closed behind her, and didn’t see the look of heavy ponderance on his face as he continued to sit there.


	21. Need You Now - Lady Antebellum - Pt 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Darcy have it out.

Tony Stark was no longer ignoring her, but she kind of wished he were. In hindsight she probably shouldn’t have flipped him off last week. Ignoring him had worked to her advantage because he’d just given her those odd looks and then ignored her as well. Now she was open to scathing remarks, verbal jabs, and dismissive looks full of such open disdain that sometimes it felt like she was getting slapped.

Jane, dear sweet protective Jane, had attempted to convince Thor to electrocute her pseudo-boss, but the big guy insisted there was good in him. Then Thor had asked Darcy not to taze him. Not that she would while she was living in his talking house, anyway. That was just asking for all kinds of badness to occur. No one should ever fuck with Skynet, and people say you couldn’t learn anything from movies.

“You call this music?” Tony demanded, coming over and _touching_ her iPod. She snatched it out of his hand with a scowl. Her iPod had been a gift and music time was quiet time and quiet time was sacred, damnit.

“You don’t just touch someones tunes, dude.” She informed him, pausing the music and pulling out her earbuds. He was staring at her, inspecting her face with a detached sort of curiosity. 

“And you don’t just walk into Mordor, but someone did.” He informed her. 

“You just called yourself a hobbit.” She told him, her lips starting to pinch together. He shrugged. He was surprisingly not upset by short jokes, not all that surprisingly considering that his soulmate was at least an inch taller than him barefoot and practically lived in four inch heels. Darcy was pretty sure that was a superpower, the ability to walk in those heels ten hours a day. 

“You aren’t what I expected.” He mentioned after a few long moments of silence. There was no one else in the labs, but Darcy darted a look around just in case. Nope, still empty. Just her and the billionaire she had apparently pissed off at some point.

“What were you expecting?” She asked with a sigh, figuring she wouldn’t get him to leave until he’d had his say. She was getting used to this sort of behavior. 

“You tazed Thor!” Tony shouted, throwing his arms in the air. His voice took on a beseeching note that made Darcy frown. “You hacked a DMV and made him a fake ID, you rebuilt Foster’s half assed equipment. I expected _something_.” Tony said, staring at her like he couldn’t understand anything about her. 

Darcy’s lips tightened as she stared at the man. He’d been waiting for her to do something, anything, for weeks, and all he’d gotten was the finger. She wasn’t sure what he wanted from her exactly. This was possibly the most honest and direct conversation they were ever likely to have, though. 

“I did what needed doing.” She told him, her fingers wrapping the cord of her earbuds around her iPod slowly, neatly, firmly. She couldn’t look at him. He’d call bullshit and she wouldn’t be able to deny it. 

“Bullshit, Lewis.” Tony replied, making her eyes dart toward him. What did he know? Who did this billionaire, handed everything with a fucking silver spoon, think he was? 

“Leave me alone, Stark.” She shot back, standing up from her desk. 

“No.” He stood up as well. She turned an incredulous look on him and he raised unimpressed eyebrows. She didn’t know what his deal was, but she was done with it. 

“What do you want from me!?” She shouted, not sure if she wanted to laugh or cry. “You don’t know me, maybe I’m like this all the time. Maybe I’ve always been like this. Nobody. Nothing. A constant disappointment.” She wasn’t yelling anymore. The words were almost whispered, she sat back down, all the fight gone out of her an no longer able to even look at him. 

“You know, you were on the SI watch list early.” Tony told her, his eyes dispassionate. “Even as a teen we knew you were brilliant. Well, I say we, but I had nothing to do with it. That was recruiting. You started college and were right on track, and then you gave up.” He tilted his head, watching emotions play across her face. 

Surprise, confusion, disappointment, pain, fear, anger. None of the pride he’d been hoping for. No acceptance, either. Tony shook his head. “What a waste.” He turned around and took a step, fully intending to leave, when she spoke, her voice raw and deep. 

“A waste?” She asked. “A waste is years of trying to convince your soulmate that you really do love him.” Her voice grew in strength, but still somehow sounded lost. “A waste is growing up with someone, knowing they will always be your everything, and finding out you weren’t enough for them, not really.” Tony turned but Darcy still wasn’t looking at him. 

“I met Charlie when I was ten years old. He had one soulmark, I had two. He was always sure I was going to leave him for the other person.” Now she looked up, her eyes sad but thankfully free of tears. “When we were nineteen we had an argument. He was so obsessed with the idea of me leaving him that he was always calling, demanding to know what I was doing. He was so busy checking up on me he almost lost his scholarship. It was so dumb. So I yelled at him.” She was staring straight into Tony’s eyes, refusing to look away. 

“Charlie got drunk and went for a drive. On his way back he hit another car. My parents' car. They all died on the same night. _That_ is a waste.” Her eyes got wet but she swallowed hard and lifted her chin, unwilling to cry in front of this spoiled man. “It’s kind of funny when you think about it though, the only reason I have a second mark is because Charlie left me.” She let out a huff that was supposed to be laughter but fell short. 

There was silence, then, as the genius and the ingenue stared at one another. Tony, of course, was the one to break it. 

“Christ, kid, I need a drink.” He turned and took three steps before looking over his shoulder. “Coming?” She followed, not sure what else to do or where else to go. They went upstairs to Tony’s suite and straight back to the full bar. It didn’t surprise her in the least that the man’s response to emotions was alcohol. 

“That’s some heavy baggage.” Tony told her, shaking something already. She hadn’t been paying enough attention to know what he was mixing. 

“Yeah.” She agreed, unsure what else to say as he poured the mix into two martini glasses. He tossed a couple olives in and shoved one of the glasses toward her. She took a sip. Briny. It was nice. 

“Dirty Martini, bitter as the past.” He saluted and downed a third of it in one go. 

“You’d know.” She shot back, earning a quick smirk. 

“I think people have been letting you hide for too long.” Tony told her, already mixing more. 

“Maybe I like hiding.” She told him sullenly, deciding she was going to need a lot more alcohol to deal with this. 

“You definitely like hiding. It’s your happy place. It’s also bullshit.” He refilled his own glass and then stared at Darcy’s half full glass until she downed it so he could refill hers as well. 

“You still don’t know me, Stark.” Darcy informed him after a moment. He cocked an unimpressed eyebrow. 

“I know enough to make an educated guess. You aren’t over the deaths, probably because you blame yourself, so you hide in Foster’s shadow because she’s safe. She doesn’t remind you of anyone in your past. Staying with her as an assistant means you never have to live up to your own potential, which is likely what you were doing when you went to a different school than your soulmate. So, in his memory, you deny yourself a chance to move on, likely disappointing the ghosts of your parents, which sends you into a depressed downward spiral at awkward times.” He stared at her expectantly and Darcy downed her martini, holding the glass out to him. 

“That is incredibly accurate.” She admitted slowly. He shrugged and started mixing again. 

“I’ve seen a lot of shrinks.” He informed her. “But since I prefer to deny having emotions in a hostile display of denial, they never last more than a few sessions.” 

“Asking how you feel is the verbal equivalent of handing you things. Noted.” Darcy gave him a grin as he passed her another drink. 

Hours later Pepper Potts came home to find Tony and Darcy watching ghost hunters and drinking straight vodka out of their martini glasses, debating over which slasher film killer would feel most at home in the old house. It seemed to involve a lot of plausible death scenes. Instead of interrupting them, since they were obviously drunk, she decided to head upstairs for a shower. Tony could find her later. 

An hour later Darcy was passed out on the couch and Tony was throwing a blanket over her, shoving the trash can by her head just in case. She didn’t have 30 plus years of alcohol tolerance built up like he did. 

Trudging up the stairs he found Pepper in bed reading a book in her simple, satin night gown. She always looked beautiful, but there was something he found especially alluring about her when she wasn’t wearing makeup and her hair was tumbled about her shoulders. He kicked off his shoes and crawled up the bed spread so he could rest his head on her lap, facing away from her. Long fingers found their way into his hair, gently carding the thick locks as she finished her chapter. Once she was done she set the book aside on her table and used both hands to smooth down his head and across his shoulders. 

“I saw that you and Darcy were bonding.” She mentioned, a soft, inquisitive tone in her voice. The girl had been driving Tony to distraction for a month. So much potential, so little drive. 

“The kid’s not so bad.” He told her with a heavy sigh. It was a sigh that meant he felt he needed to meddle because no one else was and someone apparently needed it. It wasn’t a sigh he used often. 

“Thor is certainly a fan.” She agreed, still petting her lover. This, among many other, was the reason she was sure he had been a cat in a past life. Possibly many past lives. 

“I should upgrade her tazer.” He replied. 

“Tazers are illegal in New York City.” Pepper reminded him.

“And yet repulsor beams are not.” He mused, snorting derisively.

“That is because you like to scoff at the lines in the sand and then wander past them until you’ve hit a point no one else has reached so you can thumb your nose at any and all authority figures.” Pepper replied gently. 

“They aren’t the boss of me.” Tony grumbled.

“No they aren’t.” She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his temple before settling back. 

“She doesn’t have anyone except Foster and co.” He gave that sigh again. Two in one conversation, he was feeling pretty strongly about this. 

“Here in the city?” Pepper asked, pretty sure she already knew the answer.

“At all.” He caught her hand and pulled it gently forward, kissing her palm. “She lost her parents and her soulmate all at the same time.” 

Pepper made a sound of surprised sadness. Her heart went out to the girl. So young, so very bright, but it explained the constant moments where she spaced out and her eyes went blank. 

“Don’t worry, she’s got a spare.” Tony flipped over to grin up at her, tired of the heavy emotions, but Pepper was blinking at him, lost. “A second soulmate.” He told her. She blinked at him before reaching forward and flicking his nose hard. 

“Ow, Pep!” He cupped a hand over his nose and glared reprovingly at her.

“Not funny.” She pursed her lips and gave him the Look. The one that warned him she was done with that conversation and he’d better agree with her if he knew what was good for him.


	22. Need You Now - Lady Antebellum - pt 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy meets her soulmate

Darcy woke up with a pounding headache and the smell of fresh coffee in her nostrils. She opened her eyes blearily and found a large hand clutching an equally large cup of coffee directly in front of her face. Her gaze trailed from large, blunt fingers to a wide wrist and then up impressively muscled arms to the grinning face of their resident god of thunder. 

“Now will you electrocute Tony?” Darcy demanded, taking the coffee and sitting up on the couch, noting the soft, fluffy blanket that had been draped over her. It was red. She was not surprised.

“You call him by his name, Lady Darcy, I think perhaps you have discovered some of his better qualities.” Thor took a seat beside her on the couch, still grinning. It was usually infectious, but she was hungover and could scoff at his friendly face without feeling like a total jerk about it. 

“His better quality alcohol for sure.” She responded, sipping the dark liquid and humming happily as her eyes fluttered shut with happiness. 

“He had somewhere to be this morn and asked me to come take care of you as your celebrations lasted long into the night.” Thor continued, well versed in ignoring her grumpy morning attitudes

“There was some oversharing, alcohol was needed.” Darcy admitted. 

“Bonding is good for those in close quarters. I would have bonded should I have been invited.” The big blond was looking away from Darcy now. She took a large gulp of coffee and leveled an unimpressed look.

“Your pouty face is creepy, knock it off.” She informed him tartly. “Besides, if you had bonded Jane would have wanted to come and then Erik would have either had to join us or been left on his own and he wasn’t having a good morning. It was really for the best that I decided to think only of myself.” She grinned and bumped her shoulder into his upper arm. It would have been his shoulder, but he was kind of massive and she was kind of petite. 

“I am a Prince of Asgard, I do not pout.” Thor told her, looking down his straight nose at her. Every now and then he got all up in his princeliness. 

“You are a banished Prince of Asgard and you totally pout all of the time. Last week when you found out we were out of poptarts, yesterday morning when Jane got distracted by science and didn’t want to go get a hotdog in the park with you, a couple days ago when you couldn’t find your favorite kilt, the day before that when you realized that you were going to have to get some form of ID so you could go to the Flogging Molly concert next week at the bar that wouldn’t let you in without it. Do you need me to go on?” She took another sip, staring up at him inquisitively. 

“No, little lightning sister, I definitely do not. I fear we were meant to meet all along, if only so you could keep me from falling back on my old ways.” Thor told her with a booming laugh which made her head throb a little harder. She was going to need to find some advil here quick. She smiled anyway, though, unable to help herself. Seriously, anyone who could frown in the face of happy Thor was bound to be some sort of Super Villain. Not even Steve could hold onto his “Captain America is disappointed in you” face when met with the effervescence that was their Asgardian friend. 

“I’ll taze you any time you freak me out, promise.” Darcy told him. 

“And I value you for it.” Thor told her somberly, swinging an arm around her shoulders to carefully pull her into his side. He had learned the hard way that you never made her spill her coffee, not if you wanted a moments peace for the next week. “Are you well?” He asked after a few moments of comfortable silence. He was versed in Darcy’s history, and usually he was bro enough not to mention it since she was a big fan of bottling her emotions, but he cared. 

“As well as usual. Apparently I am a supreme disappointment to Stark, though. I guess he wanted someone more … more.” She tucked her head down and cradled her coffee mug to her chest, and feeling tiny and lacking all of a sudden. Thankfully the big guy beside her made her feel protected and loved, as did Jane and Erik. She didn’t know where she would be now if it wasn’t for those three, but most especially Thor. He’d pulled her a little further from her shell and wheedled smiles and happiness from her without making her feel guilty for not being good enough to save her parents or her soulmate. He sat with her through the anniversary of their deaths while she went catatonic in her room and refused to deal with the world in any way. He was her bro, sure, but more importantly he was her friend and ally. 

“Would you like me to hit him with Mjolnir?” Thor asked after a lengthy pause. She peeked up at him and noted the blank mask he had on. 

“I think that could be amusing, but probably not good for the whole team building thing you guys are about.” Darcy chuckled and then scooched forward so she could stand up from the couch. Thor knew just how to cheer a girl up, though. She bent down and pressed a loud kiss to the man’s temple and then walked away, still smiling, to change her clothes, brush her teeth, and down some pain killers so that she could head to Jane’s labs. Behind her Thor asked Jarvis to turn on Ice Truckers. She shook her head in amusement. He really was ridiculously adorable. 

Not quite an hour later Darcy was in the lab with Jane, her hair in two long braids on either side of her head because she didn’t want to waste time drying it. The giant cup of coffee was still in her hand, having been refilled twice now, and she was layered in a new set of sweaters and her spare glasses because she had no idea where the pair she was wearing the night before had got to. 

“Oh good, Thor found you.” Jane called from half inside one of her machines, a bright smile on her face. 

“Thank you for that.” Darcy called back settling in at her desk and flipping on the computer. She had an analysis to run on wavelengths running through something or other for Jane she'd meant to start on early this morning, before last night’s epic bout of binge drinking. 

“When Jarvis told me where you were I figured it was safer to send him than to go myself. Especially if Tony was there. Did he try and pull anything?” The interrogation was beginning and Darcy couldn’t stop the warm smile from spreading across her face at her friend’s antics. 

“I think he and I might be kind of okay now, actually. Maybe.” Darcy shrugged, trying not to think about it too much. To be honest she had no idea what she and Tony were at the moment, but at least he had stopped giving her those looks of disdain once she’d spewed her baggage all over his conscience. Served him right for being all holier than thou. 

“Are you sure? Don’t think I won’t have a talk with him.” Jane was skewering her with a mom look, pointing her phillips head screwdriver like she’d stab a bitch. This was why they were friends.

“He funds your research, stop trying to maim him.” Darcy told her, laughing outright and making the other woman scowl even more. 

“I’m defending you, you should be happy. I don’t offer to do acts of violence for just anyone, you know.” Jane informed her, diving back inside her machine. 

“I am, believe me.” Darcy agreed, sighing softly as she watched the half obscured form of her best friend in the entire world putter around inside a machine which would probably still need Darcy’s touch before it did whatever it was Jane wanted it to do. She was incredibly good at fixing her equipment, but Jane was mostly self taught. Darcy had more of a grasp and Jane watched her with an eagle eye, memorizing everything she did so she could do better next time, but her brain didn’t work in technical patterns, it worked in starscapes, so she couldn’t always get from point A to point B in a logical (in Darcy’s opinion) manner. 

Darcy paused her music some time later, rubbing her hands over her face and then stretching her arms high above her head. A glance behind her showed Jane perched on a stool, her back hunched over, her chin in her palm, and her eyes glued to the screen in front of her as numbers and spaces blinked rapidly across a section of space. There would be no talking to her for the next hour or so. 

Turning the other direction Darcy saw through the glass walls past Bruce’s (empty) labs and into Tony’s. He was there, a pair of blue safety glasses over his eyes she was pretty sure were showing schematics as he poked at the metal arm of the man sitting on the table in front of him. A literal table, not even an exam table. That could not be comfortable. Behind them, looking as though he were about to have a basket of kittens, was Steve Rogers, arms crossed tight across his torso. The man in the chair, who could only be Bucky Barnes (she had a TV and watched CNN often - she did have a degree in Political Science, after all.) His lips were pressed tightly together, and his jaw was locked, the muscles clenched so hard she could see them from where she was. 

She stood up, wandering out of the Star Lab and over to Robots Inc. (seriously, that is what was on the neat little silver plaques beside the doors, Bruce’s lab was called Mad Science) and then entered the room. Blue eyes snapped open and darted her way and she blinked twice before creeping forward. She paused just out of reach of the large man sitting on the table, his flesh hand clenching around the edge so hard his knuckles were all white. 

“Finally figure out where the real fun was?” Tony asked easily, not looking away from where he had pieces pulled away and was messing about with small chips inside of the mechanical bicep. 

“Trying to figure out how someone as smart as Barnes let you talk him into mucking about with good tech.” Darcy shot back, a smirk on her lips. Tony shot her an incredulous look, his fingers going still as he dropped his chin to jerk the glasses down enough that he could stare at her from over them. 

“I thought we bonded. There were moments. There was _gin_.” He informed her, his voice full of affront. She swaggered forward, having decided she would try to give him what he gave her. Equal footing, or at least as close to it as she could manage. 

“Don’t pretend like those drinks weren’t you trying to apologize for sticking your foot in it.” She teased, her voice dry. She moved carefully, keeping her eyes on James Barnes, the Winter Soldier, who had opened his own eyes when she’d used his name. He was watching her blankly as her own face filled with calm curiosity. 

“I stick my foot precisely where I mean to.” Tony informed her tartly, jerking his head up so that his glasses settled back into place and he could go back to focusing on the arm in front of him. 

“Don’t worry, he’s a lying liarson but he knows his stuff.” Darcy assured the man with the metal arm, a playful grin on her lips. His eyes narrowed a touch, the pupils going wide as every muscle in his torso went even more rigid and she was pierced by his gaze. Holy shit was it intense. She took half a step backwards, her own eyes going wide. 

“What did you just say?” Steve was demanding, stepping forward. Darcy broke the staring contest she was having with one super soldier to catch the confused glare of another. She blinked and backed up another step as Bucky’s arm came up to bar Steve’s way and she traced the muscle from his wrist up to his impressively chiseled bicep and the words she could make out circling the flesh there, running across horrendous scars but still completely visible. She’d seen scars like that before, when countries had attempted to make their soldiers tougher by burning off their soul marks, or cutting them off, or various other things which were little more than torture. Her eyes jumped from those words _her words_ back to the closed face of the man in the chair. Her heart was pounding in her ears, her field of vision narrowed to his face. 

“I guess that makes us soulmates, Doll.” He told her after a beat of incredibly deafening silence. She felt the blood drain from her face as she kept staring at him. She stumbled backwards a few steps until her back hit the wall and she started shaking her head slowly. Her mouth opened but no noise came out and her eyes filled with tears, blurring her vision. Her chest felt tight and burned from lack of oxygen as she kept shaking her head, staring at the man on the table with the metal arm.

“Lewis?” It was faint, but Tony was suddenly right in front of her face, graying out and blurry. Her head was spinning and her lips and finger tingled uncomfortably. Tony was fading away though. Everything was fading. She wouldn’t have to deal with this, wouldn’t have to be not enough for another soul mate. She wouldn’t need to think about what it would mean if she wasn’t enough for this man, if he died and he took out everyone she’d come to love. She didn’t have to think about anything as her body collapsed and Tony was shouting for medical while James stared from his spot on the table, unable to move, his eyes locked on the pale face of the woman who apparently couldn’t stand the sight of him.


	23. Need You Now - Lady Antebellum - pt 4

He watched her face as he responded. He had puzzled the words over in his brain, wondering if he would be allowed to keep the idea of her. If he would be allowed respond. To have someone that was his and he was theirs. He couldn’t remember having things that were _his_. Steve told him things were his, but it was Steve’s too. Steve said he was his friend, that he belonged to Bucky and Bucky belonged to him, but he did not remember this Bucky. He only remembered the mission. He was the operative. 

She said the words. He responded, unsure of what to say. He did not mean to say “doll” but he had been advised it was not wrong to say things without meaning to. It was simply human. He hadn’t realized he was human, but those around him were claiming it to be so. He was lost in a world he did not trust among people he did not know, one of whom claimed to be his friend. 

Then someone entered, nervous energy, cautious eyes. It rang of past pain, possibly abuse, and she was shifting out of reach as she teased Stark, the scientist. Then she was looking at him, her eyes of midnight blue alight with shy mischief. She would be easy to crush should he ever need. But he wouldn’t, not ever. Because her words, _her words_ made her _his_. Something he could cling to, that would make sense, because all he had to know was her. He was hers. She was his. As it was meant to be, as it should always be. 

He caught her gaze and she was solid confusion, he didn’t even remember moving, but he was stopping Steve from interfering, from getting between them as he demanded to know what she had said. He found his voice to respond. “I guess that makes us soulmates, Doll.” And she froze. Her eyes traveled to the words printed on his arm. Words they had tried to remove, tried to take away. It had not worked, it would never work. He did not remember most of the attempts, but from the layers of scar tissue, there had been many. Sometimes phantom pain burned through his arm, but he brushed it off. Pain was an obstacle he had long since learned to overcome. 

She was frightened. Whether of him or of their bond or something he did not yet know, he could not be sure. She was shaking her head and backing away, not making any noise. Just staring at him and shaking her head and beginning to hyperventilate. He stayed, glued to the spot as she backed away until she hit the wall and continued to shake her head. Stark was moving away from him, going to the girl, woman, Lewis. The scientist was concerned, but did not seem overly surprised. Steve moved to help Stark with the girl as she collapsed in a boneless pile. He was carrying her from the room, Stark behind him issuing orders to the AI that ran his daily affairs. As they left the man once known as Bucky Barnes stood and gently closed the open sections of his mechanical arm before walking out the back of the lab to the stairs. 

He had information to find. He needed to know more about his soulmate, about the pain she displayed. He would fix it for her, he could do that. He could make those that hurt her disappear from existence so that she would never have to be afraid of anything again. It was all he knew how to do. She was already afraid of him, he panicked her, she clearly wanted nothing to do with her. He would protect her from the shadows if that was what was needed. He was hers. She was his. 

In the medical bay Steve was laying Darcy’s limp form across an open bed and Bruce was rushing over. Tony shoved a tablet into Bruce’s hands, filled with all of the diagnostics that Jarvis was able to take while they were rushing to the med center and Bruce’s waiting arms. Well, office. Bruce didn’t usually have open arms so much as he had arms clenched tightly against him just in case someone brushed against him. Bruce took introversion to a whole new and rather concerning level. Sometimes Tony wondered if he shouldn’t make the man a human sized hamster ball, but then Hulk would break it and Bruce would be upset. 

“What happened?” Bruce demanded, already pulling back her eyelids. 

“She met her soulmate.” Tony told him, concerned despite himself. He didn’t like to show a caring nature, it gave people ideas. Sometimes, though, he couldn’t help it. 

“That’s not funny, Tony.” Bruce was still looking at the pale young woman but his face was drawn into a frown. 

“Not the dead one, the other one.” Tony took a step away from the bed, crossing his arms over his chest and glancing sidelong at Ice Cap, who had opened his mouth and was now closing it, concern and confusion warring on his face. When he looked back at Bruce he found his friend staring at him. 

“Panic attack. Her anxiety has been high since she came to the Tower, it must have been a shock for her. They are going to have an uphill battle ahead of them. Who is the lucky person?” 

“Bucky.” Steve’s voice was low and concerned and Bruce’s eyes shot to the tall young (depending on how you looked at it) man and then to Tony. 

“So maybe that was putting it lightly.” Bruce amended a moment later, turning back to his charge. The door was slammed open suddenly and all five feet no inch Jane Foster was launching herself at Tony. He brought his arms up and twisted to the side, blocking her tiny and rather effective fists with his forearms.

“What the hell did you do!?” She was shouting, not caring that she was in a medical place. She was pissed off, a little afraid, and more than happy to blame Tony. He was an easy one to blame. 

“It wasn’t me, I didn’t do it!” He shouted, ducking below his arms so her fists would keep hitting them. She got through with a surprisingly good left hook that caught him on the edge of the chin just before a large arm wrapped around her torso and hauled her back. 

“We do not hit our friends unless we are sure they deserve it, beloved.” Thor advised his soulmate with a calm, if slightly amused, tone in his voice. 

“We do when it’s Tony.” She snarled, blowing a lock of hair out of her face. 

“She met her other soulmate.” Bruce interrupted, drawing a horrified gasp from Jane as Thor wrapped his arms more tightly about the tiny woman. 

“Oh, Darcy.” Jane slapped at Thor’s hands and he released her so that she could go to her friends side. 

“I’ve given her a mild sedative. When she wakes up, which will be at any time, it should keep her calm enough that she won’t have another panic attack.” Bruce advised. Jane nodded, winding her fingers through Darcy’s.

“Where’s your bionic man?” Tony asked Steve after a few moments. The blonde man turned, eyes searching the area. 

“If I may, Mr. Barnes is currently with Dr. Selvig.” Jarvis interrupted. 

“What is he doing to Erik?” Jane was standing again, one hand clenched around Darcy’s limp fingers and the other balled up in a fist. Thor smiled as he gazed upon his lady. Her brain was ferociously intelligent and her need to protect those around her was awe inspiring indeed. She was a warrior, and a fine match for himself. He was lucky to have been found worthy of her. 

“They are conversing, Dr. Foster.” Jarvis sounded a touch disapproving and the scientist settled a touch, knowing that Jarvis had taken it upon himself to keep an eye on the man who had been an Uncle to her all of her life. 

“About what?” Steve asked, still not sure what to make of the clusterfuck that had just occurred. 

“Ms. Lewis. I am monitoring their conversation, it appears quite amiable at the moment. I will let you know if they need further assistance.” Jarvis advised before going silent. He watched the group in the infirmary, just as he watched Clint practicing in the target range and Natasha in her room practicing ballet with all of the doors locked and her eyes closed. She had privacy protocols engaged to their fullest and as such Jarvis would never tell anyone what she did, but it did not stop him from becoming mildly concerned when silent tears ran down her face as she stood at the barre and began her graceful dance. He also watched James Barnes and Erik Selvig as they conversed about the young woman unconscious in the medical bay. 

“You are her soulmate, you say?” Erik asked, his mouth open as he stared at the hard muscled man before him with watery blue eyes. The soldier nodded, his face impassive. Outwardly the two had few similarities. Tall men, caucasian, blue eyes. Where Erik was tall, with soft skin and soft muscles, his stomach giving way to the good food and ale he was fond of consuming. His hair was a dirty blond going to white, his eyes small on a face made for smiling, the color a pale blue. James was not quite as tall, his body a map of hard muscles and scar tissue. His face was set in a sad sort of scowl, his eyes wide set and stormy blue. His dark hair was long enough to brush his shoulders, some of it hanging longer because he was in need of a trim and did not realize that was a choice he had to make for himself. 

“Yes.” James replied, sitting upright on a stool in front of a very tall desk. From his position the desk did very little to hide the fact that Erik was completely naked and had little green and blue marks on his hands, temples, shoulders, and belly. These marks were likely from the markers he had clutched in each hand. The marks and obvious signs of lack of sleep made the soldier minorly concerned, though the sentiment was immediately shuffled to the side and ignored. 

“That’s no good, no good at all.” Erik faced him full on, but his eyes were shifted to the right, staring at a blank space near the floor as his hands dropped to his side. He had been in the middle of a manic attempt at figuring out some kind of indecipherable math issue when the soldier had come in and asked him for information regarding Ms. Lewis because she was his soulmate. 

“Her reaction could be considered extreme.” James mentioned after a moment. He had to interact differently with Erik than he would with others, the man was confused at the best of times, half mad from having had his brain taken over by the personage known as Loki. He was not a threat, though his madness meant he would never be safe. 

“Darcy had another, he was not strong. He died, and he took her parents with him.” Erik was shaking his head as he rested his forearms on the high desk and looked across the table at the younger looking man. “She is very broken because of it, very distrusting. Thinks poorly of herself when it was never her fault.” Erik continued, shaking his head.

Darcy Lewis, parents and soulmate dead at the same time. It was a good starting point for an information search. Assistant to Jane Foster, former Intern. London. New Mexico. He focused on the scientist in front of him again. He had known Darcy Lewis, his soulmate, since before he had been relegated to half mad bouts of depression. He could have more information. 

“She is not a scientist.” The soldier offered after a few moments. The taller man snorted his laughter. 

“No, though she may argue if she is in a good mood. She has a degree in political science.” The way he scoffed at the title basically said everything. He did not consider it an actual science, and apparently he thought Darcy Lewis better than it. “She started as an engineer, she’s brilliant, of course, could do anything. She chose something which did not remind her of anyone she lost. A new direction that wouldn’t push her. She needs to be pushed sometimes. Takes care of everyone but herself.” He shook his head and sighed, clasping his hands together to look up at the somber man before him. 

“At Culver.” He had heard the name in passing somewhere, possibly in reference to Bruce Banner, mild mannered scientist and one of the most dangerous creatures in the world. He watched Erik as Erik watched him, their eyes locked together. 

“I love Darcy as though she were one of my own. She is hurting. She has been hurting for a very long time. She is not something to make you feel better about yourself. She is a person with feelings and thoughts and emotions and if you make her sad or angry or any number of other things I will find a way to disable your arm and break your legs.” Erik smiled sadly. “I figure you deserve a warning.” 

“It is an acceptable reaction.” The soldier agreed after a moments pause. 

“Welcome to the family.” Erik held out a hand and the Winter Soldier stared at it a moment before he realized he was meant to shake it. He put his hand in the other man’s and in a move faster than the soldier would have thought the man capable, he jerked the other man across so that he could lay a loud, wet kiss on his cheek and clasp his arm around The Soldier’s shoulder. His muscles bunched, ready to retaliate, but then he slowly relaxed as the madman kissed him on the other cheek and then clapped his shoulder with obvious excitement, not caring that he was naked and the soldier was not wearing a shirt. As the taller man let go of him and turned back to the board, chuckling maniacally and clapping his hands over his bare, bulging stomach the other man, James, stood and backed away, setting these events in order so he would be ready should they happen again. He could evade the other man without hurting him.

As the man known as James turned to leave the lab he glanced over his shoulder unconsciously, not realizing that his lips had quirked up into a grin as the other man started mumbling drinking songs as he wrote across the white board with new fervor.


	24. Need You Now - Lady Antebellum, Finale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ending, which is really the beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bet you didn't think you'd see us here!

It had been a week since she’d met her soulmate. Since that moment he’d been actively avoiding her just as she’d been creeping around in an effort not to run into him. It was bound to happen sooner or later, that the two would meet. Darcy just didn’t think it would be while she was sneaking into the communal kitchen at oh dark thirty to sneak some of Clint’s grapes from the fridge. Sure, he complained they disappeared, but he kept putting them in the main room so he couldn’t really be all that butthurt about it. 

Darcy had tucked herself into the back corner of the kitchen, green grapes in a bowl on her lap as she scrolled through her phone and surrounded herself in the drama and amusements of her legion of Facebook Friends. It was easier than the alternative, which was to face her own drama. She didn’t hear him come in. Didn’t notice his presence at all until he opened the fridge and looked in the drawers with a frown. She stared at him with wide eyes, her phone in one hand and a grape in the other. He turned calmly, eyes going directly toward her. She felt her eyes go wider. 

“I-” He cut himself off, staring at her with an open mouth and a lost look in his eyes. She blinked once, then again, and then slowly held out the grape in her hand. It was the only peace offering she had and honestly, he kind of deserved it. She had completely flipped her shit. Not that she was doing all that well right now, but Bruce had been keeping her on a mild sedative to help with nerves. Probably a good thing. 

“Grape?” She asked. He slid his foot forward slowly before the rest of him started to follow. He creeped closer, as though giving her time and space to bolt should she feel the need. Instead her eyebrows creeped higher and a bemused grin spread across her face. Once reaching her he dropped to the floor in a graceful move which ended with him having crossed legs and the grape in her hand. If she’d tried that she’d have been on her ass with the grape rolling across the floor. 

“Thank you, these are what I was looking for.” He told her, nodding once as he nibbled it. 

“Do you like grapes?” She asked. Stupid question, obviously he liked them. He was eating them, wasn’t he? Darcy hunched her shoulders a bit, pulling another grape off a stem and popping it in her mouth and pretending like her chewing wasn’t crazy loud. Wow it was quiet. She peeked up at him through thick, dark lashes and caught his bright blue eyes darting away from her. 

“Yes.” He said it slowly, his eyebrows pinching together in the center as though he were uncertain. Darcy let all of the information she had on the Winter Soldier run through her head for a moment, trying to make sense of what should have been a simple answer. She tilted her head to the side, her own brows beginning to scrunch together as she watched him. He was darting his gaze back to her again, pulling his head away as though waiting for her to attack. Or possibly go catatonic. Man, a girl slips up once … yeah that wasn’t even funny in her own head. 

“Me too. These ones are Clint’s.” She held out another one to him and he took it, popping it in his mouth. She bit her lower lip, sucking it between her teeth in a nervous gesture she’d had since childhood. “I’m really sorry.” His eyes locked to hers. 

“I don’t understand.” He said slowly after a lengthy pause. 

“You didn’t do anything wrong. Hell, I’m not sure _I_ did anything wrong, but you were hurt. I’m sorry I hurt you. _You_ didn’t do anything. I’m just … broken or something.” She turned her eyes to the floor, rolling a grape in her fingers instead of eating it. It grew soft and mushy before a large hand covered hers. 

“I know what Broken looks like.” He told her, his voice gruff, her eyes started to travel up to his face, but stalled out on the circle of precise black cursive bumping across the scars left by those who had used him, abused him. She had to force herself to stop looking at those words, not the scars beneath them, but the words. Her words. The words which made this man in front of her, _hers_. She felt a punch to the gut more visceral than anything else she’d felt in the last few years. “ _You_ are not broken.”

“I never used to give much thought as to why the universe or whatever might have given me a second soul mate.” She started, catching his eyes with hers, her head tilted a touch to the side. “After Charlie and my parents I gave it a lot of thought. It was all fantasy, though. Self involved delusions during some of my more narcissistic moments of grief.I think I get it now.” She didn’t say anything else and he blinked once, twice, before deciding what the best response was be. 

“What?” He would learn to speak again, to use the words that made the women in his fractured memories smile so brightly. He could make her smile. 

“They gave you to me so that you could teach me to be strong again.” It was half whisper and he stood up as gracefully as he had sat down. Upset by the way the words sounded. Given him. Like a thing. An object, not a person. Yet wasn’t that the way of soulmates? To give oneself willingly? His blue eyes locked on hers.

“Maybe they gave you to me so that I could remember to be human.” He offered after after a long beat of silence. Her eyes widened and her mouth thinned, he had upset her. Darcy got to her feet, not nearly as graceful as Bucky, but just as determined. She lifted her chin and shook her head.

“You are human.” She informed him. “Humans are flawed and terrifying. We bleed, and we feel, and sometimes all we feel is pain and sorrow and fear, but it’s something.” She reached her hand forward, resting it over the center of his chest, above the beating of his heart and the thin cotton of his shirt. 

“Is that all you feel?” He asked, trying to understand this woman in front of him, with her air of fear and fragility, but with an odd fight glinting from her eyes. 

“Sometimes.” She agreed, taking half a step forward, her hand still on his chest. “And sometimes I forget myself in a moment of joy. It’s always unexpected, usually involving Thor or Jane, and something will happen and all I can do is laugh and smile. They help. Even when they don’t know, they help.” 

“I don’t have a Jane or a Thor.” He informed her after a moments pause, not moving in case he scared her and she moved her hand. It was small and warm and there was no violence in it. None at all. She had little callouses on the inside of her middle and index fingers of her right hand, likely from holding a pen or pencil. She was not a warrior, not in the typical sense. 

“You can have me. I might still act crazy sometimes, though.“ She informed him. Take a deep breath and then stepping forward to wrap her arms around his waist and rest the side of her face over his heart, the steady thump coursing through her body in a relaxing rhythm. 

Bucky looked at the wall, not sure what this would mean for the future. She and he were not the worlds most … whole, people. He was … gratified? Flattered? Neither seemed to fit the knot of emotions stuck in his chest at the moment, but he was _something_ for her. He had hurt her during their first meeting. He would try not to do that again. 

“Bucky?” Darcy asked after a moment. 

“Yes, Darcy?” Bucky asked. 

“This is the part where you hug me back.” She informed him. His arms raised slowly, shifting around her shoulders and then sliding down a touch until they were resting comfortably around her back. Well, as comfortably as he could be without the possibility of a smooth draw of a weapon. not that he was wearing a weapon in the tower other than his arm. And the small clutch at his ankle. And the knife at the back of his shorts. 

“Do I tell you everything will be all right now?” He asked after a few more minutes, having decided to crane his head down enough to rest his chin on her head, 

“No. If we want this to work, and I think I do, then we shouldn’t lie to one another.” She told him. 

“Sometimes that will make you unhappy.” He informed her a moment later, running statistics and scenarios through his head. 

“Yes, but the right thing isn’t always a happy thing.” She agreed. “Besides, Erik said he liked you. You’re stuck with us now.” 

“Us?” He stalled out on that word, an image of a scrawny little fighter superimposed on the strapping figure of Captain America. 

“Yes. Me, Jane, Erik, Thor, Tony, Bruce, Pepper, and everyone else. The whole lot of us. They are my family, so they are your family.” She tipped her head back to look up at him and he stared down at him. “Are you sleepy right now?” He shook his head. “Good, we are going to go watch Lilo and Stitch.” 

“A movie?” He asked, letting her tow him down the hall and into another room. 

“Yes, because ohana means family and the only way that will really sink in is if a little blue alien says it.” She informed him, settling in on the couch and asking JARVIS to cue it up. 

Early the next morning Steve brought Bucky a large cup of black coffee while the other man watched the woman using his thigh as a pillow in her sleep. Bucky took it and looked up at Steve, his blue eyes full of questions and pain and hope. Steve clapped a hand gently on his friends shoulder and smiled before turning and walking out of the room feeling like maybe things would be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, it's been a crazy few months. Life got hold of me and I was a mess, thankfully Tiz had my back with some well timed oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and well timed phone calls that involved a lot of wine. I'm back to writing, Tiz is still heckling me and encouraging me and metaphorically heaving heavy objects at my head when i get too self involved and ignore the stories. If it weren't for her none of these would get written. 
> 
> Also, I now have a bunny. His name is Basil and he is very spoiled.


	25. Shake It Off by Taylor Swift, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A four parter that is much happier than the last, I promise.

Darcy was at the club, having gotten in VIP thanks to a few introductions from Tony, shimmying and bouncing and wiggling to the beat the DJ was supplying. She didn’t want to stop. Her thick curls were piled up high on her head, she was in a simple tunic length green tank top and grey leggings, she had on her favorite ballet flats, and the only makeup on her was the slash of red lipstick she never went without. Tonight was a night for dancing away her stress, not making a lasting impression. She disappeared into the shadows whenever the strobe lights went off, just how she wanted to. The center mass of the dance floor pulsed with the music, each of person lost in the sounds. 

It was her weekend routine, sometimes it happened Friday, sometimes Saturday, rarely on Sunday, but it happened every weekend. She had made friends with the bouncers, all of them well used to seeing her face after almost a full year of visits, and they knew her moods based on how she was dressed. Actually putting in effort implied she wouldn’t be going home alone. When she was dressed like tonight, she wanted to be left alone. When she brought friends, she was there for fun. She was sassy, full of confidence, unafraid of the seedier people in the neighborhood, and always called the bouncers sweet when they hailed her a cab at the end of a long night. 

Several hours later Darcy leaned against the bar, an overpriced bottle of water in her hand and a tired smile on her face. She was bobbing her head and shoulders to the beat, her eyes on the DJ instead of the others at the bar. Her hair was damp with sweat and her shirt was sticking to her back, it was exactly what she’d needed. Now she was just enjoying the music, an odd girl out amongst the flash and sparkle and bare skin surrounding her. 

She didn’t notice the blue eyes locked on her from the balcony above, didn’t notice the path which opened down the stairs to the bar, didn’t pay any attention whatsoever to the man who stood beside her, watching her and waiting for her to notice him. Well, maybe she noticed that last part, she just didn’t care. She was here for the music and the workout, tonight, everything else could be ignored. Even if the man was practically looming. 

“The Beauty and the Beat routine really works for me.” The man finally asked. Darcy’s fingers clenched reflexively on the water bottle as her eyes bulged. She was hoping for a relaxing night, not a life changing event. Her eyes darted to the left, starting at the man’s feet and slowly running up his legs. He was tall, the jeans weren’t covered in holes or sagging, his stomach was lean, his chest well defined, his shoulders wide, his grin familiar …

“I know I always said I wanted to marry a fireman, but I was thinking more topless calendars and funny hats.” She told him, blurting out the words without thinking. It was a habit of hers, talking without thinking, and one she’d never before considered breaking. After a moment’s pause she decided that filters were for losers and shook her head to try and focus on the now rather taken aback face of the man who was apparently her soulmate. Johnny Storm. Tony was never going to let her live it down. Ever. 

“Marry?” His voice sounded strangled and his eyes began to color with panic. Darcy felt her lips turn into a feral grin as stepped forward, resting a hand on his chest. Oh yes, his muscles had muscles, it was kind of lovely. No time for distraction right now, though, there was trolling to be had.

“I’ve always wanted a big wedding. The gorgeous gown, the pomp and circumstance, the insanely long train. What do you think of spring?” She asked, opening her eyes wide and smiling softly. She could totally play this game. 

“Spring?” He darted a glance behind him, leaning away from her touch. 

“For the ceremony.” She nodded, her face going serious as she leaned further into him, not letting the man get away.

“I have to go, there … something.” He didn’t bother with more of an explanation, just backed away quickly before turning around. 

“Call me!” She shouted, her face going back to malicious glee. He was far too easy to read. She brought her water bottle to her lips again and took a long pull before closing the bottle back up, cracking her neck, and heading out to the dance floor like it was her mission to conquer it. 

The next day Darcy was minding her own business, sucking down her third coffee of the morning, when she walked into the Avengers conference room. This was not abnormal, they often had early morning meetings in an attempt to catch the science division before (or just after) they were distracted by the shiny discoveries they were making. It wasn’t even strange to have guests in the room. What _was_ strange was having one of said guests leap out of their chair, sending it crashing to the floor and making the twitchier members of their team pull weapons and look for a threat. 

“How did you find me? Are you _stalking_ me?” Johnny demanded, stepping a little behind his sister. Sue Storm was every bit as beautiful as she seemed in pictures. She was not, however, a very intimidating figure. 

“Right.” Darcy drew the word out as she blinked owlishly at the man, who was at least twice her size and a full grown hero, and then promptly decided there wasn’t enough coffee in all of the Tower to deal with this before ten in the morning. She dropped her notebook and pens on the table, unlocked her tablet, shot the meeting agenda over to Bruce (she could trust him to actually take minutes for her) and turned on her toe, striding out of the room. She needed chocolate. 

“My soulmate is a dick.” Darcy declared as she strolled into Jane’s lab ten minutes later, a bag of M&Ms in her hand and a scowl on her face.

“They usually do.” Jane agreed, staring at her computer screen distractedly.

“Not has a dick, _is_ a dick. As in a butthead. A jerkface. A twatwaffle.” Darcy chomped ferociously on her candy as she threw herself into a chair. Her words suitably distracted her friend and Jane unknotted her limbs and turned toward the younger woman.

“Wait, when did you meet him? _Where_ did you meet him? How did I not know about this!?” Jane demanded, using her feet to propel her chair toward Darcy. This was the glory of having wheeled chairs on a marble floor. Darcy and Jane had teamed up against Thor for Office Jousting twice now, it was awesome. 

“I met him last night at the club, I hadn’t told anyone yet, but this is why we have a lunch date at noon. I was _going to explain_ that Johnny Storm, ego of epic proportions, is apparently my soul mate and I wasn’t sure how I was feeling, except for a bit let down, even if he is pretty, but then he was here and he was accusing me of stalking him, and Tony is just going to have a _field day_ over this.” Darcy shoved more chocolate into her mouth, shoulders hunching forward as she curved her body around the sweet treat. 

“Could have been worse.” Jane said after a moments though. Darcy sent her a dirty look and the other woman merely raised her eyebrow. “It could have been Reed Richards.” They stared at each other before dissolving into giggles. Darcy told her about the night before, how they’d met, what they’d said, the look of terror on the other man’s face when she’d mentioned marriage. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen that kid so afraid of anything in his life, and I’ve known him a while now.” Tony mentioned, walking into the lab. Darcy craned her head back and made a face at him. 

“Called it.” She announced, flopping her head forward on her neck and pouting at Jane. 

“What’d you do, explain the process of banding, again?” Tony asked, leaning against one of the tables as he referenced the sheep castration process which Darcy had taken upon herself to explain to various internal minions who thought her being the Avengers Admin/Social Networking guru meant she could get other people an in with the team or was sleeping with at least half of them. One time Natasha had shown up with the rubber bands they would need. Darcy never asked the woman how she knew where Darcy was or what she was doing, but the visual had been magnificent. She didn’t really want to know how easily one could get those crazy rubber bands, but the thought was appreciated nonetheless. 

“I asked him his opinion on spring weddings.” She told him, her voice going low as she began smirking at the memory, happy to have instilled that sudden sense of fear in the young hero. It wasn’t that she had anything against him, she didn’t even know him, it was just the troll inside of her revelling in that panicked look in his eyes. It also may have been a little bit of pride because it stung to have him instantly retreating the moment he realized who and what she was. 

“That’s it? I thought the boy had more backbone than that.” Tony frowned, openly showing his disdain as he tried to figure out how the hell _that_ would have thrown notorious playboy Johnny Storm for a loop. He lifted his coffee cup, the look of confusion still on his face. Darcy watched him with a sly grin. He took a gulp.

“Well, it was right after we figured out we were soulmates.” She drawled, watching him choke and spit coffee down the front of his shirt. She let out a triumphant bark of laughter, throwing a fist in the air as he glowered at her. Jane grabbed a half empty roll of paper towels from a drawer and chucked it at the man so he could clean up. 

“Off with her head!” Tony shouted, gesturing toward Jane. 

“Sorry, left my axe in my other pants.” She replied, turning back to her computer. If those two were going to battle it out she may as well get some work done. 

“You are a terrible person, why do we keep you?” Tony demanded, glowering at Darcy while wiping his face and shirt with a paper towel before dropping it on the floor and nudging it around with his toe. 

“Because that’s the thing you enjoy about me.” Darcy reminded him. He shrugged in a “fair enough” way and tossed the paper towel in the bin. 

“You and fireball, huh?” Tony asked, eyeing Darcy. 

“Apparently.” She agreed easily. 

“Let me know if you need him used as target practice.” He added after a few more moments of silence. Darcy’s red lips quirked up in sly amusement. 

“I knew you loved me.” She told him, her head lolling back. 

“Natasha is now timing my bathroom breaks, I’ve gotta get back to the meeting. Thanks for the ammo, kid.” Tony gave her a sloppy salute and left the room, the younger woman grinning at his back.


	26. Shake It Off by Taylor Swift, Part 2

She refused to go to a different club. This was _her_ spot and he wasn’t going to drive her away from it. She huffed a sigh and wiggled her hips a bit as she stared in the mirror. Her hair was a rioting tumble of curls, her shorts were black and short, her top silver lamme and cut practically to her navel, the ladies proudly on display, her ankle boots had little black suede tassels and her makeup was perfect. By the end of the night it was going to be less so, at least that was the plan, but for now it was gorgeous. She turned and went to the door, grabbing her coat and heading down the hall to the elevators. 

As the door opened to the lobby a wolf whistle pierced the air and Darcy smirked, casually flipping off her favorite archer as she walked out and lifted her arm. Her red lips lifted into more of a grin as a cab immediately pulled up in front of her. She gave them the address, slouching back against the seat and staring out the window at the wet sidewalks and the bundled pedestrians while they drove. The cab stopped outside the club and she handed him a couple of bills before sliding out of the back and bypassing the line, heading straight to the bouncers. 

“Looking good, Darcy.” One of them told her with a smile, lifting the black leather rope and letting her through. She popped up on her toes to press a kiss to his cheek as she went, ignoring the irritated groans of those who had yet to be let through the giant steel doors. One coat check later (seriously, don’t trust strangers, give your coat to those paid to keep an eye on it) she was out on the floor, wiggling and flipping her hair, pressing her hips back into strangers, running her fingers through people’s hair, across their chests, down their backs. 

She’d been there a while, sweat dripping down her neck and into her cleavage, errant curls sticking to her skin, when she felt as though someone was staring at her. She opened dark blue eyes, made huge by the kohl lining them, and caught the gaze of the man who was her soulmate. He was standing on the balcony, a blond draped over one shoulder and a redhead curved over his back, her hands wrapped around to trail across his chest as her fingers tangled with the blondes. He wasn’t watching them, though, he was watching her. Her lips, still red as sin, quirked up as she leaned back across the arm holding her up on the dance floor, her eyes still on Johnny’s, as fingers trailed down her chest, between her breasts, and hooked on the edge of the neckline, giving a peak at the dark letters curving around her ribs just under her breasts. She was braless tonight, a dangerous maneuver, but often worth it when you had a particular goal in mind. Johnny’s hands clenched around the bannister and then he was moving away from the girls and heading downstairs. Darcy let herself get pulled up again, her leg hooking around the stranger’s hip as she plastered herself to his side while the song ended. 

The beat picked up and Darcy unhooked her leg, spinning around and lifting her arms in the air to move to the music, her body as fluid as a snake. A hand caught her hip and a body came close to hers, not quite flush, but he moved as she moved. Darcy opened her eyes, not surprised to see Johnny. If he thought he was going to mark his territory here, he was wrong. She grinned, pressing herself fully against his chest and letting her hand scale the ripples of muscle under his shirt as his pulled her neckline far enough down for it to be dangerous. She watched his eyes go darker as he looked at the letters on her skin. His thumb brushing the inside of her breast. She shivered once and then backed away, winking before grabbing the man she’d just left and pulling him down so his ear was at her mouth. 

Five minutes later Johnny was watching, his face impassive, as Darcy pulled the man into the cab behind her. 

The next morning Darcy sipped her coffee in a huge fluffy robe as she watched the man, Gary, apparently, route around for his shoes. Her face was mildly curious, but she wasn’t what had made him so flustered. No, that was the redhead sitting beside her, gazing at him like the apex predator she was. Natasha could make anyone nervous, it was incredibly impressive. 

“If I may, Sir, the left shoe is beside the door.” Apparently Jarvis could feel compassion, that or Tony had trained him to help a brother out. Soon Gary was gone, leaving comfortable silence in his wake. Darcy turned a smile toward the other woman, someone she had discovered a few weeks back considered her a friend. It was sweet, even if she was half feral and didn’t understand boundaries. 

“What is your goal?” Natasha asked, sipping her coffee once more and staring at Darcy expectantly. The brunette blinked twice, understanding that Natasha rarely did things without thinking them through first. 

“With Johnny?” She asked, crossing her leg at the knee now that she didn’t need to worry about distracting poor Gary any further. He had been very polite as Natasha handed Darcy her coffee and told them man they had things to discuss. He had stared at her in shock for a while, she was kind of famous after all, and then her words had sunk in and the meaning became clearer. Poor thing had tripped multiple times while attempting to gather his things. 

“Yes.” Natasha nodded once and Darcy tilted her head, giving it some thought. 

“Would it be terrible to admit that I’m just having fun fucking with him right now?” She grinned conspiratorially and Natasha’s lips quirked up. 

“Not at all, it will probably do him some good. He needs reminding that what’s good for the gander is good for the goose.” The assassin agreed, watching Darcy with wide, interested looks. 

“I’m starting to feel like it would be smart to worry right now, but at the same time it’s an awful lot of effort for this early in the morning.” Darcy admitted a moment later. Natasha’s lips curled up further, she was practically smiling now. 

“That’s why you’re more fun than Clint. Are you attracted to Johnny?” Natasha asked. 

“My libido want’s to claim him in ways I’m pretty sure are illegal in most southern states, but my brain is a troll and my heart is undecided.” The brunette replied, completely honest. It was that trait which drew Natasha’s interest. In her line of work honesty was rare and valuable. Darcy was a breath of fresh air that quickly became a hurricane force blowing through the building without care to the damage she left in her wake so long as her people were taken care of properly. It was quite fun. 

“Today is a spa day, then. I’ve got us booked across town. Throw on something comfortable and meet me in the garage in fifteen.” Natasha stood up and walked out of the room as Darcy downed her coffee and ran to go find her Bob Omb yoga pants.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bob Omb Yoga pants are a real thing, thinkgeek.com - my sister got a pair for me for Christmas.


	27. Shake It Off by Taylor Swift, Part 3

For three months now they had been playing these games, and Johnny had no idea what it meant or where it was going. He kept going to the same club, he’d met her there and now he was drawn to it, drawn to her. He didn’t want this, though. Didn’t want to settle down or give in or whatever it was his friends had done over the years. Seemed to do. Sure, they seemed happy now, but it wasn’t always fun. Sometimes it was downright hard. Relationships shouldn’t be _work_. No one was worth that much stress. Look how unhappy Susy was most of that time. 

But here he was again, a new girl draped across him while he watched _her_. 

Today wasn’t a day she was picking someone up. He had figured out her moods and intentions at this point. Tonight it was cutoff jeans and a t-shirt with a pair of converse. Really she shouldn’t have been let in the door, but Darcy had friends in high places. Not Tony, not this time, but the bouncers themselves. They let her get away with all kinds of things here. Nothing illegal, she wasn’t that kind of person, but she had asked them to cut him off last week. He hadn’t even made his way into a decent buzz at that point, the minx. 

There was that as well, his finding her charming and impressive rather than controlling and annoying. Was he fickle? Sure, he saw a lot of women, but they knew the script from the start. One night, no attachments, no commitments. He’d never really been interested in a long term commitment, especially not after the fateful trip which led to his, and the rest of the team’s, powers. It was dangerous, and while he might be irresponsible, he wasn’t willing to be the cause of death for some poor woman just because someone, probably that ass Victor, thought it was the best way to get back at him. 

Then that fateful night with a pickup line which wasn’t his best he had met _her_. Now she was playing his own game against him, probably without even trying. It was incredibly distracting, both while she was there and while she wasn’t. He watched as she shook her hips, her shoulders, her body undulating to the fast, peppy beat. He was drawn to her in a way he hadn’t ever thought he’d be drawn to anyone, including his soulmate. 

Johnny was an easy one to peg: shallow, narcissistic, sarcastic, and slut being the top four descriptions most people used. His one redeeming feature was that he saved the world a couple times a year because his sister made him or he liked the media attention, the exact reasoning being under some debate. What those people didn’t realize was how Sue was the only person Johnny had ever been able to depend on in his life, starting as a small child. He worshipped his older sister, it was why he’d followed her on that mission. He was going to back her up whenever and wherever she needed it, if it meant working his ass off and showing off that he was smart as well as pretty, so be it. 

Sure, he loved the attention, but he knew it was fleeting. He was the belle of the ball until midnight and then he was ignored until he did something else which required attention. Attention he was happy to take off of his much more shy sister, her science minded soulmate, and Ben, who didn’t like anyone staring at him like he was a freak. No one, but his sister, and maybe the other guys, knew that, though. People didn’t _want_ to know those things, and that was alright with him because he didn’t need anyone. 

Except he might need her. 

He certainly wanted her. It was a visceral reaction, sometimes waking him up in the middle of the night because the dream wasn’t enough and he suddenly need a long, cold shower. He usually went for tall, leggy blondes. Models and actresses, women with schedules that would never work with his own. Women who didn’t expect anything else from him. Didn’t _want_ anything more from him. 

He finished his beer and turned, extricating himself from the redhead and walking away, ignoring her protests. He went down the stairs, heading toward the exit. He took one more look back at the dance floor. It was like one of those moments which should only happen in the movies. The crowds parted enough the he could see her. The song ended, she turned and caught his eye. She was breathing hard, not surprising since she’d been dancing for hours now. He raised his hand, giving a her a quick wave goodbye, and she responded in kind, her smile growing a touch before he turned and walked out the door, his face blank as he cut through the line of paps and out to his bike. He hadn’t left a club by himself in a long time.


	28. Shake It Off by Taylor Swift, finale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final part of the Shake It Off portion!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bet you didn't think you'd see me again, huh? Sorry about that. I had the WORST case of writers block. Sorry guys! Good news is it seems to be over and we are writing again. Bad news is I am training for a Spartan Beast and you may not get anything new in the upcoming week. 
> 
> XOXO - Damia

“Hi there.” The voice was sweet and had Darcy turning in her chair, eyebrow lifted. The cute blonde with the friendly face wasn’t who she was expecting to see. 

“Jane is out to lunch right now, but I’ll let her know you stopped in.” The brunette offered, tilting her head to the side and eyeing the woman. Thor had taken over lunch times for Jane when he was at the tower, he was quite good at distracting the woman. Darcy didn’t like to think about it in too much detail, though. 

“I wanted to see you, actually.” The blonde tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and came into the lab, stopping in front of Darcy’s desk with a smile. 

“Ah.” Darcy’s smile froze and she nodded, locking down her computer by rote and turning her attention to the blonde. She should probably go around her desk so they would be on even ground, but she wasn’t really feeling up to it. This woman was almost Pepper efficient, and that was kind of intimidating for Darcy. 

“Yeah.” Sue gave her a rueful grin and took a seat. 

“What can I do for you, Sue?” Darcy asked after a moment of chewing her lip. 

“Well, Darcy,” Sue took a stabilizing breath and pulled her spine straight.

Darcy’d been getting to know the team over the last few months, because everyone was working together. It was awkward because there was her soulmate, his family (who were also his team,) and then there was _her_ family, who were also _her_ team. This was a mess. But if Johnny didn’t want her Darcy didn’t want him and that was how it was going to work. She wouldn’t be that girl. She would not stop her life to pine over someone who didn’t care about her. She _liked_ Sue, the woman was sassy and tough and almost as smart as Jane. She knew Sue well enough to know that she was about to say something that she didn’t want to have to say, the blond did it a lot with Reed.

“I’d like you to stop playing with my brother.” Sue continued. 

“What?” Darcy was pretty sure her eyes were going to pop out of her face they were open so wide. Of all the things Sue could have opened with, _that_ was not what Darcy had been expecting. 

“I would like you to stop taunting Johnny. I know he isn’t who you may have been expecting, but he is a kind and caring man, he just doesn’t like to show those sides of himself to people because it opens him up to people letting him down.” Sue rushed forward, her hands fluttering in the air to punctuate her points. It was like she’d been holding in those words for a long time. 

“So showing up to my club with a different girl every week is my fault?” Darcy demanded, going the defensive as she tried to figure out the blond woman’s angle. 

“No. Yes. Look! My brother is a selfish, spoiled, vain, little shit. I wont deny it. However he is also kind, caring, and the first to put himself on the line to defend another, even if they were his enemy ten minutes ago. Not because he want’s to be contrary, but because he just doesn’t always trust himself to understand what is going on. He surrounds himself with genius, he can’t help it because we were raised that way, but he has never been as smart as we are. He is smarter than most people, but he doesn’t see it, so he focuses on things he can be better at. He brings home bimbos who don’t know the first thing about him, don’t want to, and he’s never tried to know anything about them. Especially not after the accident. Until you. Suddenly he is focused on one woman and she scares him like no one else ever has, and all she does is take home other men and wink at him. If you don’t want him you have to tell him.” Sue informed her, deflating at the end. Darcy was pretty sure the older woman had overshared a bit without meaning to, but she’d forgive her. 

“Look, I’m not a saint. I’m going to give Johnny exactly what he gives me and nothing less. If he wants to know me he has to talk to me. We aren’t going to just magically fall in love with one another, life doesn’t work that way. He needs to make the first move.” Darcy told her, jaw locked and eyes wary as she looked at the blonde. “And by first move I mean toward friendship, not a pickup line.” 

“You won’t shut him down?” Her eyes were crazy intense and Darcy pulled her torso back a touch, half afraid that she was about to agree to something she shouldn’t be. 

“Yeah.” Darcy nodded slowly and Sue’s intensity dropped down about five levels as she smiled brightly once more and patted the younger woman on the knee. 

“I’m glad we could have this talk.” The blonde assured her before standing up and leaving, Darcy staring blankly after her and wondering why she was suddenly nervous. 

\---

She had a week’s reprieve while Doom (seriously, lamest name for a villain) decided to try and destroy the world or something equally attention seeking. Then he was back. Standing in front of her desk without his sunglasses or the arm candy. He looked nervous, about as nervous as his sister had made her feel. Actually maybe he was nervous because of his sister. It would make sense. 

“Hey.” He told her after a few minutes of awkward silence while the two of them stared at each other with trepidation. 

“Hey.” They were both practicing eloquence as well. It might not have been so very awkward if Jane wasn’t sitting at her desk staring at them, not even trying to hide it. The scientist was _never_ at her desk. Not only that, but Tony and Bruce had come to visit and talk shop, and were also just staring at them. There was a tell tale knocking above the vent as well. 

Johnny’s blue eyes darted over to the Scientists Three and then back to Darcy. There was a pleading look to them and the woman was half tempted to ask him if he wanted to go somewhere else, but the troll in her wanted to let him stew for a little bit longer. She didn’t like to admit it, but she could be petty sometimes and she was still a little hurt from their first meeting. She had turned in her chair a little, biting both lips and carefully not looking at the scientists because that would break the wall and encourage Tony to begin commentating. 

“Get on with it!” Clint’s voice finally echoed down from the vent. Darcy threw her stapler at it with surprising accuracy, making the archer yelp in surprise as she grabbed her coat and purse, glaring at the trio snickering at Jane’s desk.

“I hate you all.” She informed them with no heat, ignoring Jane when she pouted theatrically and Tony as he grabbed at his heart and pretended to be hurt. She stomped out of the room and over to the elevators, Johnny trailing after her with a grin on his face. 

“So I’m not the only one who was feeling put on the spot in there, then?” He asked as the elevator doors opened and they entered the little box. 

“Nope.” Darcy told him before jabbing the emergency stop button. “JARVIS, do not record, I want privacy in this box.” 

“Of course Ms. Lewis.” The AI obliged. 

“And turn off the alarm.” She grumbled. The ringing ceased and Darcy sunk to the floor, putting her back in the corner and staring up at the confused and possibly worried superhero. A second later he shrugged and sat down as well, stretching out his long legs and crossing them at the ankles. 

And then they sat in awkward silence again. 

“Look,” Johnny started, scrubbing a hand through his short, spiky hair. “I don’t know what Sue said, but I’m sorry. I know she can be a bit…” He trailed off with a grimace, not sure how to put it.

“Protective? Endearing? Mama Bear?” Darcy offered with a grin. Johnny grinned back.

“All of that and a lot more.” He admitted. He took a deep breath and let it out through his nose. “I’m sorry.” 

“For what?” She honestly didn’t know, they had each been working up quite a rap sheet. A lot of red, as Natasha would say. 

“For that first night.” His smile was sad now. “You scared me.” 

“Yeah, well, I didn’t have troll you.” She admitted, taking her own share of the blame. She knew Johnny Storm wasn’t one for apologies and she didn’t want to rub it in. 

“You aren’t like any of the girls I’ve dated.” Johnny continued, his shoulders becoming less stiff. She hadn’t realized how tense he was. 

“Yeah, I’ve noticed.” Darcy let out a huff of laughter and then narrowed her gaze as she inspected him. “Why _did_ you come over to me that night?” That question had been on her mind since that first night.

“I don’t know. You just seemed so … alive.” He shook his head again, tugging one of his knees up to drape his arm across it as he looked down and contemplated the question. She wondered if he realized how telling that response was. 

“I feel like maybe we’ve been doing this wrong.” Darcy offered after another beat of silence. The fire starter popped his eyebrow up inquisitively. “This, us.” She motioned between the two of them. 

“For a while now.” He told her with a nod. 

“Yeah, me too.” Darcy agreed, pursing her lips thoughtfully. “I think the problem is that we are both far too defensive. We don’t trust easy. You’ve got Sue, and to a lesser degree your team. I’ve got Jane, and to a lesser degree my team.” She continued, just getting the words out instead of stopping to think them through. “Something in the Universe thinks we belong together, and so both of us slam up walls and refuse to cooperate.” 

“Sounds about right.” Johnny let her continue. 

“But that’s just it. It isn’t right. It’s completely wrong. Unless you haven’t been miserable for the last few weeks.” Darcy shrugged, not quite looking him in the face. The man stared at her, his eyes dark and compelling. She was right, he _had_ been pretty miserable. For more than a few weeks now. 

“So go on a date with me.” He was speaking before he thought, not an unusual thing for him to be doing. Her dark blue eyes shot to his. 

“If you think you’re going to get away with telling me what to do for the rest of our lives, you’d better think again.” Darcy shot back at him. He grinned. 

“Like you’d do what I told you to, anyway.” He retorted, a smile on his face.

“Maybe if you begged.” She shot back. 

“That had better be a promise.” Johnny’s eyes were darker now, his smile more than a touch naughty. 

“JARVIS, be a dear and make sure we aren’t disturbed.” Darcy voiced as she stood up and pulled her shirt off. 

“Of course, Ms. Lewis.” JARVIS agreed, but she wasn’t paying attention any more.


	29. Beautiful by Christina Aguilera

Darcy stared at herself in the bathroom mirror, her eyes tracing the spiky letters that traced below her breasts and around her ribs to her back. Sticks and stones can break your bones … but words could destroy your soul. People didn’t really understand that back in the day. They said “buck up!” and “oh they didn’t mean anything by it.” When you were a husky child who later turned into a curvaceous woman, those words _hurt_. 

But _her_ words made up for it. _“You’re the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen.”_ Seven words that kept her from curling up into a ball when other girls called her fat. When boys who had been her friends called her a slut because she’d had the audacity to hit puberty and grow breasts. When she woke up in college with no idea where her underwear was or what frat she was in, couldn’t even remember leaving her dorm room the night before. 

She knew how she looked. She’d never tried to pretend she was pretty to the average man. Her skin was moon pale, her lips large and full. Her hair was thick and night dark. Her body rocked the curves of ages past. Perhaps she was shaped into the dream of a forgotten age, when she could have been someone’s Girl Friday and been applauded and feared for her quick wit and sharp tongue. For playing with the boys. 

Maybe that was why she’d focused on politics. A place where what you looked like didn’t matter so much when you were always going to be behind the scenes. She didn’t plan to be a president or senator or mayor. She just liked the constant changing weave of people and passion and views. 

Without her words she wasn’t sure she’d have been able to handle most of what was thrown at her over the years. She wasn’t sure she could have handled life half so well. They were a quiet bolster to her confidence and self esteem. When she had to take a zero in physics because her TA was handsy and her complaints couldn’t be validated, she’d gotten that internship with Jane to make up the credits. He said she said be damned, she knew what had happened. 

Without Jane she wouldn’t have met Thor, wouldn’t have been adopted by Erik. Sure, she wouldn’t have been chased by a giant fire breathing robot or faced off with angry dark elves or gotten stuck in far too many spots that were basically inaccessible to anyone with a survival instinct. It was all worth it, though. Walking at her graduation had been pointless, she didn’t mind skipping it. Holding Jane’s hand through the battle of New York? Totally a better use of her time. Also, Norwegian men were pretty and appreciated her love of sweaters. 

All of her choices in life, all the little things that shaped her, they revolved around a single constant. _“You are the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen.”_ Seven silly words that shouldn’t have mattered, but bolstered her confidence in her formative years and kept her company when she looked at all her friends, petite and slender. They were beautiful by societal standards, not Darcy. Darcy was made for other things, carnal games and no respect. Well fuck them, none of them mattered. Sure, people said that, but you didn’t always believe them. One person would, though. They would look at her, and she would be the one. She would be theirs, they would be hers. One day it would be wonderful. 

“You lost in that big brain of yours again?” Her dark blue eyes rose, catching the gaze of the man leaning against the door jam through the mirror reflection. He thought she was beautiful. He thought she was smart and courageous and wonderful. Good thing he did, since most of the time she couldn’t see it herself. She faked it pretty good though. 

“It’s not that big.” She told him, a grin twisting the corners of her mouth up. 

“Certainly bigger than mine.” He told her, stepping forward and wrapping an arm around her waist. The words of her soulmark caught between his tanned arm and the dark blue of her bra. Dark letters against a pale surface. _“I was afraid you weren’t ever going to show up.”_ her messy scrawl covered his forearm. He was hers. 

“You’re perfect.” She told him, a serious look on her face as her eyes dropped to the reflection of their words. 

“No I’m not, you wouldn’t be nearly as interested if I were.” He pulled her tighter to his chest and she clutched his arm to her skin. 

“I really wouldn’t,” She admitted after a moment, a grin splitting her face as she craned her head back, looking up at his stubbled chin. 

“Minx.” He dropped a kiss to her forehead and moved around her to start his own morning routine, first to go would be the peach fuzz. Too bad, the man could pull it off. She reached forward and smacked him on the ass before turning and walking into their room, an extra bit of sway to her hips that drew an appreciative hum from him. She dressed for work, a day of running the lab (a lot more intense now that Jane ran a whole division and Darcy was taking care of the labs, the peons, and the various outfits who wanted to interact and work with all of them) and feeding Jane. Jane was still her top priority. 

A knock on the door sounded and the brunette walked over, putting in an earring as she opened the door. She smiled at the tall blond before her. 

“Morning, Darcy.” He was smiling down at her and she smiled back. You couldn’t not smile back at Steve. Especially not when it had taken so long to break him of the habit of calling her “ma’am”. Almost a full year, in fact.

“Morning, handsome.” She smiled back, a wide, easy grin that he had never once taken as any kind of invitation. She appreciated that about him. “Sam, your work spouse is here.” She called back into their suite. He came around the corner and dropped a quick kiss on her cheek. Her hand caressed his side, slowly dragging as he walked out the door. She leaned her head against the door jamb and watched as he and Steve (who nodded a goodbye) took off to go play with the rest of the Avengers. 

Sam turned, looking over his shoulder at her before saying something to Steve and jogging back in her direction. She opened her mouth to ask him if he forgot something when his lips slanted across hers and she was pulled up flush to his chest. She melted against him, her arms circling his neck and one foot popping off the floor like some kind of movie princess. She hummed happily as he slowly pulled back and pressed his forehead against hers. 

“You’re still the prettiest woman I’ve ever seen.” He told her, reminding her of the day she’d come upon him dazed and out of sorts after having gone three rounds with Thor over a year before. She smiled and kissed him back, once, softly. 

“You’re perfect to me.” She kissed him once more and then shoved at his chest to shoo him away. “Now go play with Steve.” She grinned as he loped off down the white hall to catch up with a grinning Rogers.


	30. Love Done Gone by Billy Currington

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Endings don't have to be tragfic, but beginnings should always be hopeful.

She’d had fun with Ian. Erik was suddenly crazy (okay, _more_ crazy), Jane was depressed over Thor, whom she’d fallen head over heels in love with over the course of three days, and Darcy was left taking care of them. It had been a lot of long hours in a new country, hell! in a new continent, and she was lonely. So she’d put out a notice that they were looking for interns. Since she had technically graduated (she hadn’t walked, but they’d been busy trying to rip open the sky, so that was understandable, right?) and was no longer an intern. She called herself one, but she just liked the title. People underestimated interns, because how could they know real life applications? Also, being an American intern in Europe? Got her out of a lot of trouble. Well, it got her into a lot of trouble, too. 

Then there had been portals. That was pretty cool, actually. Thor had shown back up. Space Elves came into play, somehow. That part was less cool. Okay, it was kind of awesome, but still scary so whatever. She’d kissed Ian, because he was cute and he’d been around for the last few days, mentally _and_ physically, and probably should have died, statistically speaking. He was a redshirt, redshirts rarely made it past the first skirmish. He’d kissed her back, though. It was awesome. It was fireworks and perky love songs and sparkles all over, awesome. 

So she’d fallen. Hard. SHIELD showed up for cleanup (late as usual) and everything changed, but not in an entirely bad way. Ian moved off the couch and into her room (corner of the living room which was partitioned off) and it was bliss. Jane had Thor, Erik had people who had his back and a steady supply of kilts so he could go pantsless without making Darcy and Jane blind, and Darcy had Ian so she didn’t feel alone in the middle of the madness. 

They weren’t soulmates, but that had never bothered them. Some people didn’t meet their Soulmates until they were old enough for grandchildren, having a Soulmate didn’t mean you wanted to marry them, either. Her aunt and uncle were prime examples. Uncle Jackson was gay and Aunt Patricia was straight, they were best friends and lived next door to one another and were both happily married. 

What she and Ian had was beautiful and comfortable and everything she’d wanted. Someone who would hold her when she was sad, who would smile when her mouth got away from her, someone who _got_ her. After the fight in D.C., when it was up in the air whether SHIELD was or wasn’t an agency anymore, Thor and Co. were invited to New York City to live in Stark Tower. Well, the invitation came through Thor, but really Tony Stark had a massive hardon for Jane’s star science. 

So they moved, all of them, to Tony’s tower. JARVIS made life infinitely easier when it came to Erik. For some reason the man had an easier time listening to the AI than he did to the girl’s who loved him or the men in their lives. It was great. Darcy started managing the labs, Ian got the credit for school and then transferred to Columbia. Tony was worse with pop culture references than she was, and no one seemed to mind when her verbal filter mutinied. 

But then little things started to change. She lost the fuzzy feeling when Ian held her at night. He stopped finding some of the things she did as cute as he’d once found them. She started finding the fact that she embarrassed him, irritating. He didn’t like drinking, she liked beer with dinner. He wanted to eat healthier, join the gym, be treated like an academic. He spent a lot of time at the college and he didn’t like showing her off to his friends anymore. It hurt, but she knew she was doing like minded things. It lasted for weeks, their discomfort bleeding out to those she loved. 

“Are you okay?” Jane asked Darcy one day after Ian left for a class. Once upon a time he would have kissed her on the forehead before he went. Now he barely lifted his hand to wave. Darcy considered lying, pretending she didn’t know what her best friend was talking about, but it was beneath her. 

“Not really.” Darcy shrugged, her eyes moving to the pile of papers in front of her. 

“Did something happen?” Jane asked, her voice hesitant. 

“No.” She couldn’t help but laugh at the relieved sigh that Jane let out. 

“Oh good, I didn’t want to have to take a hammer to his knees.” Jane told her with a grin, sitting on the edge of the younger woman’s desk. 

“Wait, what?” Darcy asked, her face a mask of incredulity. 

“What, you think I wouldn’t defend your honor? That I’d need to send Thor after him?” The scientist demanded. Darcy stared at her, unsure of what to say. She wasn’t good at verbalizing her feelings and her needs, she didn’t ask for what she wanted emotionally. She just hid her feelings until it was safe to let them out. 

“This is why we’re friends.” She told Jane after a moment, pressing her lips together tightly and sniffing once before pulling her chair closer to the desk and typing quickly. 

“I love you, too.” Jane told her, hopping off the desk and wrapping her arms around the girl to hug her from the side. Darcy rested her head on the woman’s skinny arms, happy that Jane understood her even though she was sad that whatever she’d had with Ian seemed to have run it’s course. 

“Whatsamatter, bright eyes?” Clint asked, a faint pouting of his lips as he dropped onto the couch beside her later that night. She was on her third sad chick flick of the night. Natasha had come in and walked right back out. Darcy liked Clint, had liked him since New Mexico when he’d brought their equipment back and told her he knew a guy and could get her a better tazer. 

“I broke up with Ian via text. Told him it wasn’t working.” She sniffed. Clint had been around the tower long enough to know the young man, even if he’d never seen the draw. 

“Oh.” He slung a well muscled arm across her shoulders and tugged her into his side. 

“Yeah. You know what he said? Ok. That’s it. Just two letters. He didn’t come back after classes. I’m assuming he’s leaving the tower and really it’s not like I didn’t see this coming weeks ago, but it sucks, you know?” She was a weepy mess and scrubbed the back of her hand under her eyes in an effort to pretend like the damage wasn’t already significant. 

“The only reason he was here was because of you, so it makes sense that he’d leave.” Clint told her, resting his chin on the top of her head. 

“Yeah.” She sniffed again and cuddled into the archer. 

“Also, no more sad shit. We’re watching A League Of Their Own next.” Clint informed her after a moment. 

“Because there’s no crying in baseball?” She asked with a grin.

“Why do you think guys use the base analogy with sex?” Clint demanded, pulling back just far enough to look at her incredulously. He got the reaction he’d been going for, a watery chuckle. 

The next afternoon Ian showed up, hands in pockets, at the door to the room they’d been sharing. He knocked. She took a step back, letting him in without a word. It hurt, but it wasn’t piercing. It was the sudden ache of a pulled muscle, but since a heart was basically a muscle, it made sense. Her heart ached for the end of a thing that had been wonderful for a time. 

“I found a flat. I’ll be sharing with some other grads.” He told her as she shut the door. 

“I figured you would.” She agreed. There were a couple small boxes and his large suitcase, filled with his clothes and the things that were his, some of the things they had gotten together, and a couple things she’d wanted him to have. She hadn’t slept a lot, wanting to just get everything done with. 

“We were good, Darcy. We weren’t forever material, though.” He was trying to explain the things she’d already figured out and she found herself shaking her head in irritation. Once upon a time his explanations had been endearing. Now she was realizing that he thought she was stupid. She wasn’t, and so she was annoyed. 

She let him prowl their room, but he didn’t add anything to the boxes. At least they wouldn’t be petty about it. Maybe she wanted to be, a little bit, but she was reigning it in. He grabbed the boxes and she grabbed the suitcase, following him down the hall to the elevator and then waiting with him while the taxi was loaded. 

“Good luck, Ian.” She told him, holding out a hand. He pulled her in for a hug and pressed a kiss on her forehead. 

“Try to behave, eh?” He asked, chucking her under the chin with his fingers as he got into the car and drove away. She shook her head and took a fortifying breath before turning and walking back inside the tower, looking distinctly out of place in her Bob Omb yoga pants and batman shirt, feet bare. She waved a hand at the guards to bypass security (residents of the Avengers Tower area could do that) and hit the elevator to go up. 

It was stupid, but all she wanted to do was cry. Never had she had such an amicable breakup, but she’d never felt quite so sad and weepy either. It was like everything was perfect and then it had faded. She couldn’t pinpoint anything either of them had done wrong, she didn’t regret their time together either, but it was just … sad. Sadly, when the doors open there was already a tall man holding up the corner. She hit the level she needed and the doors closed. She leaned back into the empty corner and closed her eyes, sniffling a bit. She’d never been much of a crier, but she might as well be made of water the way the last few days were going. 

The elevator came to a stop and her eyes opened to see the man, gray shirt, jeans, blue jacket, close cropped hair, clasp his hands together in front of him. He’d pressed the emergency stop button. The tears were still falling down her cheeks and he glanced over at her with warm brown eyes and an understanding smile. 

“I thought you might want a couple minutes to yourself. No memories to creep up on you.” He offered. Her face crumpled and she dropped to her knees, covering her face with both hands as the man stared up at the ceiling and let her cry herself out. After a few minutes she used her shirt to scrub excess tears. When she went to stand his hand was held out. She took the help and got to her feet, noting how very pale her hand seemed in his. 

“Better now, ma'am?” He asked her, eyebrows up as he looked into her eyes. She smiled, maybe not brilliantly, but it was a hopeful smile. 

“I hate to sound trite, but one door closes and another opens.” She told him. His eyes went wide and she chuckled. “I know. I’m Darcy.” She gripped his hand a little tighter, this soulmate she hadn’t expected. 

“I’m Sam. It’s nice to meet you, Darcy.” The door dinged open and she smiled as she got off the elevator, her eyes still on his as the doors closed once more. If he was getting off after her he was with the Avengers. She’d see him again.


	31. Dice by Finley Quaye (AoU Spoilers)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING! SPOILERS FOR AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON
> 
> Darcy!TheMutant/Pietro Fix-it

She stared down at her hands, how they trembled against her thighs. She felt calm, she wasn’t crying, wasn’t screaming, so why were her hands shaking so hard? Dark blue eyes lifted and she stared across the expanse of rubble and dirt, cars left dropped on their sides, buildings with holes instead of doors. 

She’d almost been too late. She _had_ been too late. That was the point, wasn’t it? There was Clint, lying across the seats. There was the other one, laying across the ground. She didn’t know him, but she’d been dreaming of this very picture for weeks. Clint, the other man, both horizontal with their eyes closed. The one in the silver bleeding from a number of bullet holes. 

So she was on her knees, beside the one in silver, her hands trembling as she finally moved. It had been seconds, seconds that felt like hours. Now she cried. Silent tears that washed clean furrows down a dirt encrusted face. This was who she was, now. A glorified medic that had once been a political science major. Until SHIELD fell and all of their secrets were out in the world. Her secrets. 

She wasn’t normal, had never been normal. It was funny how many of them became hackers. She carefully removed the first bullet from the man’s back, digging her slender finger into the hole and knowing that it would have hurt if he wasn’t passed out from blood loss and pain and … that. As she pulled her finger slowly out the hole in his heart closed, as did the rest of the damage. She couldn’t heal a lot of people at once. She couldn’t heal without touching. She could do this, though. 

First hole closed, on to the next. Then the next. Again and again. The taxi emptied around her but she didn’t move. She couldn’t, not if she planned on finishing this. Her tears hit his back and evaporated in the sunshine. As she finished she stood up and looked down at her hands, covered in blood that wasn’t her own. The blood of a man she’d only ever seen in her dreams. 

“Who are you?” A deep, feminine voice demanded, as full of frightened awe as most people were. Or perhaps she was frightened because the man beside her was supposed to be dead. The real medics poured in around her, pulling the man onto a gurney and carefully not touching her.

“I’m Darcy.” She looked at the other brunette, taller and slimmer than herself, and then back to the blond man below her. “He’ll live.” She turned, pushing past the other woman and the large green man that was not the Hulk. Phil had found her, told her what he was doing, and she’d gone along. Because of a dream. The dream that she had just lived through. 

Her chin wobbled as she looked down at her hands again. Usually healing didn’t leave her hysterical, but something about this was bubbling up emotions inside of her that she didn’t understand. Her shoulders shook and she hunched over for a moment, trying to control herself, to not fall apart. She didn’t know him. He meant nothing to her, and yet he obviously meant something. 

“Lewis?” She turned and saw Maria at the end of the hall, her face pinched with worry. Darcy just stared, blinking slowly as the tears poured down her face and the Agent strode toward her. 

“I don’t know him, I don’t know any of them. Why does any of this matter?” She was always drained after a healing, after senseless violence. Just as she had been after New Mexico, but there had been no casualties then, despite the Destroyers ominous name. She lifted her hands to grip her hair, but Maria’s fingers caught her wrists. 

“You don’t want to do that, Lewis. Blood in your hair is a bitch to get out. Let’s go clean you up.” And then Hill was manhandling her to the nearest place with a sink and turning the water almost scalding to scrub the blood from under her nails. 

“Is this shock?” Darcy asked after a moment. Maria didn’t look up from where she was helping the young woman clean up her nails. 

“Has it ever happened before, after you’ve healed someone?” The older woman asked. Darcy shook her head. 

“No, but I’ve never dreamed about a healing before it happened, either.” She admitted, head turned toward the open doorway. 

“Well, there’s no one else who can do what you do, Nightingale. If this is the cost, I thank you for your service. What you do is far better than what any of the rest of us do.” Hill told her after a moment’s pause. 

“I hate that name. I never should have saved Phil or Nick.” Darcy informed her, not really meaning the words. From the smirk on the other woman’s face she knew that too. 

“Find your bunk, Lewis. Sleep will do you good.” Hill told her, drying her own hands and gently pushing Darcy out of the room. 

“Yes ma’am.” Darcy agreed, pulling her knit hat lower over her ears and folding her arms across her stomach. She made it to her room, turned the heat up and crawled under the covers. 

A knock sounded through her room the next afternoon. She’d slept over 20 hours. Not unheard of for Darcy after a healing. The knock sounded again and Darcy stood up, stumbling to the door. The taller brunette was there, black dress and red jacket, arms crossed over her chest as she stared at Darcy with an expression the other girl didn’t know how to read. 

“I am Wanda. You saved my brother, he would like to thank you.” She announced, her voice still deep for a woman’s, a pleasant timber. Darcy shook her head and the other woman raised a single eyebrow. It was oddly familiar and she smiled. 

“Come in, give me a moment to,” She made a gesture regarding her entire self and other other woman stepped inside, looking around in a manner that was less curious and more rote. Like she was used to taking stock of a situation. 

Darcy opened the gym bag “go bag” that she’d had stocked since two, three years ago now? When she’d first been called to help Agent Coulson. She shouldn’t have been able to save him. Wouldn’t have been able to if not for the other things they’d done to him as well. Things she didn’t like to think of. 

Hair pulled up in a messy bun, clean leggings, long sweater - she didn’t have a lot of qualms about changing in front of other women, even if they were strangers. She pulled on clean socks and laced her boots back on before standing and wiping the lenses of her glasses clean. 

“Lead the way.” Darcy waved a hand and Wanda took the lead, showing her a familiar path through the helicarrier to the med bay. They stopped outside a room where a big blond was sitting up in bed, a bigger blond was holding up the wall, and the blond archer was perched on a table smiling and laughing. The all looked up as Wanda came in, Darcy in tow. 

“Lewis” “Nightingale,” Steve and Clint greeted with varying degrees of pleasure. Darcy was pretty sure she weirded out Steve. He wasn’t against her for having powers, it was just too close to bringing back the dead. She couldn’t heal true dead, though. 

“You did this to me?” The man in the bed demanded, his head cocked at an angle as he took in all of her. She felt the tears well up again. She wasn’t a crier and it was odd to feel this way. Her chest went loose even as her shoulders went tight and her chin lifted into the air. Those five words, stamped across her heart. Her right hand lifted, her palm rubbing across her sweater where she knew those words ran across the top of her left breast.

“I’m pretty sure you did it to yourself.” She responded, watching his eyes go wide as he continued to stare at her. 

“I like her.” Wanda informed her brother after a moment, plopping herself down on the foot of his bed. 

“I feel like we missed something.” Clint told Steve, tired of being ignored. 

“She is my soulmate, this woman that saved my life.” The man in bed informed them, eyes still on Darcy. 

“Darcy Lewis. Sometimes Nightingale. I work with the smartest woman in the world, she’s not good at taking care of herself.” Darcy introduced herself giving maybe too much information that wouldn’t make sense to the man before her. 

“I am Pietro Maximoff, Quicksilver. Apparently I’m not good at taking care of myself, either.” He offered. She smiled slowly. The others melted from the room, but the Healer and the Speedster didn’t notice.


	32. Love Don’t Die by The Fray

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky/Darcy

Their first meeting wasn’t quite as awkward as it sounded when she told the story later. Bucky had been in the tower for a month, wasn’t talking to anyone but Steve, and had walked in on her stumbling out of the elevator piss drunk with her best friend half collapsed over her shoulders. The man had seen them around the Tower, of course. Mostly Jane, who was in a relationship with the local Asgardian. 

“Hey, hot stuff, would you mind being the brawn for my brain?” Darcy called out, grinning like a maniac as she stumbled and the petite scientist. Bucky stared at her blankly for a moment, his blue eyes fixed on her face as she slid to the floor beside the woman. He assumed (correctly) she had asked because he was the first person she saw. 

“I mean, it’s cool if you’re still being all Tonto for the Lone Roger, I can have Jarvis get Thor.” Darcy told him after a moment, still grinning up at him. Bucky blinked, trying not to picture the words curving low around his hips in a large, loopy scrawl. Instead he walked forward and lifted the scientist up, draping her over one shoulder as he pulled the curvy brunette to her feet, letting her lean against his side as he walked to the common area. 

“Jarvis, bro, get Thor to come get his lady love off the couch, would you?” Darcy demanded as Bucky laid the other woman out on the couch, picking her arm up and putting it across her chest as it flopped off the couch. 

“Of course, Ms. Lewis.” How did that damned computer always manage to sound amused? Darcy enjoyed it, but it made Bucky wary. Then again, a lot of things made him wary. Perhaps that was now his base self. 

“So, out for a walk while no one was home?” Darcy asked with a grin, swaying in place as she turned her full attention onto the large man. He blinked once and looked around. He hadn’t realized no one was home, he just hadn’t wanted to continue pacing in his own room. Steve was encouraging him to venture out more often on his own, backed up with large words and descriptions by Sam, who was a very competent bully on occasion. 

“It’s cool, that’s why Jane and I went out to get white girl wasted. Well, Thor is here, but he was gone most of the day, Avengers PR BS, you know?” She was nodding and walking in a very wavy line toward him. Walking past him. He turned to watch her as she patted him on the shoulder and wandered to a large built in bookshelf. 

“Are you always this quiet or do people with vagina’s intimidate you?” She asked as she collapsed to the floor in front of the metal and glass, her head craned back to grin over at him. The words startled a bark of laughter out of him. Darcy Lewis was about as intimidating as a kitten, at least physically. 

“I’m not really sure what I should say.” He admitted after a moment, frowning a bit at the truth in the statement. Steve told him so many stories, all about their past and how Bucky once was. He didn’t remember most of it himself. He still wasn’t entirely sure that he was really this Bucky person the other man remembered so fondly. He wasn’t the Winter Soldier, no, that wasn’t true. He would never stop being that. 

“Sweet, my soulmate is a cyborg!” Darcy was grinning and his attention focused back on her. She patted the ground beside her and when he didn’t move she patted it again, this time giving him an imperious look. He took a few cautious steps forward and cautiously sat on the ground beside the young woman. She pulled books and switched the dust covers with other books as she told him about her life, her favorite books and movies and music, and didn’t press him to fill in the gaps himself if he was quiet after a question. Thor came and collected Jane, wishing them both good night.


	33. Handlebars by Flobots

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sugary Sweet meet-cute with a bit of Tony for zest. Also because I like Tony as a bro.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any mistakes in this one are because I didn't let the wondrous Tiz edit it like she usually does. You know why? Because tomorrow is her birthday and I wanted it up here for her to enjoy! Sugary sweet Cap goodness for the Good Twin, the family I got to choose :) 
> 
> Happy Birthday Tiziano, I adore you almost as much as I adore cookies, Criminal Minds, and Doctor Who.

They were on the elevator. Not anything that was noteworthy or surprising, but they were on it alone together. Her dark blue eyes flicked over to the tall, blond man with the broad shoulders. She knew who he was of course, it wasn’t really fair because it seemed like _everyone_ knew who Steve Rogers was and he couldn’t know who most of them were. 

He was flipping through a beat up little notebook, a pencil in between his teeth. She peeped, she couldn’t help it. A list of music. He flipped the page a few times and saw politicians and political parties. She frowned as he put a question mark next to a few of them and then glanced up to see his eyes still focused on the pages in front of him as he chewed on the inside of his cheek a bit. It was adorable. 

The elevator dinged and she stepped around him, giving him a friendly smile as she stepped into the Science Hall. 

His eyes followed her as she walked away. Her long, dark hair hanging in a mess of curls down the back of her brick red sweater. She was in leggings and what he was reasonably sure were slippers, but looked like boots. Darcy Lewis. He wasn’t being a creep or anything, he just noticed her was all. She was smiling all of the time and humming or dancing along to whatever music was coming through her earbuds. He’d shoved his nose into his notebook while he tried to think of a way to strike up a conversation with her, but she was off the elevator before he could think of anything that wouldn’t make him sound like an idiot. 

The next day she was on the elevator again. He was tucked into the back corner and spared her a smile when she looked his way. She cleared her throat and stared forward, already fidgeting. Darcy was lousy at keeping still. The elevator dinged and she got off the elevator, but she heard steps behind her. a quick glance showed that Steve had gotten off the elevator as well. Now would be the time to say something witty, to smile and sparkle and be interesting. Instead her tongue turned into sandpaper and her mind went blank. 

“Capcicle, enjoying the view?” Tony asked, leaning against the door to one of the labs that he wasn’t actually supposed to be in today. In fact he was supposed to be in a shareholders meeting today. Pepper was not going to be pleased. 

“Really, Tony?” Apparently Steve was well used to this behavior, at least from the tired sigh. 

“What? I do.” Tony waggled his eyebrows as she wandered past him and Darcy reached up a hand to pat him on the cheek as she shuffled into Jane’s lab. 

“You can’t show even a little bit of tact?” Steve was asking now, his voice quiet. If the woman hadn’t stopped inside the door to stare at her passed out scientist she’d have missed it. 

“I’m allergic to it, besides I saw you looking. Nice to know the submarine hasn’t been decommissioned after all those years in cold storage.” Tony was definitely enjoying himself. 

“I’m still a man, Tony.” Steve defended himself, the way billionaire crowed told her that Steve was likely blushing and hadn’t meant to admit to anything. Although, she was both flattered and intrigued. More than intrigued. 

“You need to do something about that. I’ve got some ideas.” Tony started and Darcy’s eyes popped wide as she glanced over at Jane, still passed out. No way was she letting that madman plan anything that involved both herself and the man of her better dreams.

“You can do anything you want to,” Darcy declared, stepping out of the lab and looking at the man in question. “And that includes ignoring Stark.” Steve’s head snapped to her, his eyes wide and searching her face. 

“Does that include you?” Stark demanded, waggling his eyebrows at her. Darcy narrowed her eyes and lifted her phone, hitting a number on speed dial and holding it up to her ear.

“Hey Pepper, are you missing a certain mad scientist with goatee? Yeah, he’s right here.” She held out the phone and arched her eyebrows as Tony waffled between glaring at her and looking at the phone with trepidation. In the end he snagged the phone with a wince and put it to his ear.

“Pepper, light of my life, queen of my tower!” He ducked into the lab and Darcy smirked after him before turning to a grinning Steve Rogers. 

“Anything I want?” He asked, her eyes narrowed as she held up her right hand, shoving her bangles down to show the neat script circling the delicate bones. He lifted his shirt, showing off an impressive set of abdominal muscles that she was instantly distracted by until he chuckled and her gaze went up to her own messy scrawl tracing across the ribs on his right side. 

“Well I suppose it’s too late to back down now.” She told him with a shrug. 

“What are your thoughts on motorcycles and coney island?” He asked as she turned and scrawled a note on the whiteboard in the hall. 

“Love bikes, and never been,” She told him, slipping her arm through his when he held it out. 

“Well then, today's your lucky day.” He informed her, walking her toward the elevator. When Tony came out of the lab fifteen minutes later, ready to give Darcy her phone and an aggravated speech he was distracted by the bold orange words on the whiteboard in front of him. _”I’m playing hooky, don’t destroy anything while I’m attempting to corrupt a national icon.”_ He was too busy laughing to be annoyed anymore.


	34. Does Your Mother Know by ABBA

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another Shieldshock for the best Editor in Chief a girl could ever meet. Happy Birthday Tiz (I tried not to overuse "that" this time)

The music was loud and peppy, not surprising. Darcy liked to blast it loud when she was trying to distract herself. He expected her to have her feet up, toes tapping to the rhythm as she surfed the internet. When he got around the corner, she wasn’t sitting on the sofa. She was dancing in the living room. In her underwear. Hot pink cotton and lace. It was completely distracting for a moment, but then he realized what was on her shirt. 

It was an oversized shirt, not revealing or form fitting, though without pants it brought on a whole new look. He could see his words flashing low across her hips now and then “Ma’am, I hope this doesn’t seem forward, but I’d really like to take you out for a drink.” They wrapped almost all the way around her in neat, black letters. Her own words scrawled in a diagonal above his heart declared “Well, aren’t you adorable.” That had been well over a year ago, before they were living together and shocking Tony (he’d thought Steve would wait until marriage.)

She twirled again, her eyes closed and her hair flying around her as the beat pulsed through the room, upbeat. The song ended and another began, same artist. He got a flash of that shield again and it was giving him a rather visceral reaction he would never have expected. He hadn’t even showered yet. Usually that was his first stop, but there was she was, distracting him without even knowing. 

Darcy was a hell of a dame. 

Two long strides and he caught her wrist, pulling her into his chest as she opened her eyes. He grinned, reckless and promising all at once as she opened her mouth to say something. He didn’t give her the chance. Instead he crushed his lips to hers, nibbling and licking and sucking until all she could do was make little moans as her nails scraped against the leather on his back and she tried to crawl into him. He understood that need as it was fully reciprocated. He pulled away after a moment, dropping his head back as she dropped her forehead against his chest. 

“What was that about?” She asked a moment later, her head pulling away from him. He dropped his chin, looking down at her with a wide grin. 

“Where’d you get the shirt?” He asked after a moment. 

“Vendor in the park.” She responded, looking down at plucking at it with a confused expression. She looked back up at him and slowly raised her eyebrows. “Ah. Good to know.” 

“Who is this?” He pointed up at the speakers as another song came on, still peppy. 

“ABBA. I’m pretty sure getting turned on by ABBA is an afront to disco heads across the world.” She added, grinning back at him. 

“Good thing I don’t know what that means.” He responded, dropping to a knee and tugging her over his shoulder in a smooth move before standing up again and heading toward their bedroom suite. 

“What do you think you are doing?” She demanded, laughter in her voice. 

“Taking a shower.” He slapped his hand against her ass and she shrieked in surprise, still laughing as she wiggled a bit. 

“A shower is not going to wash the dirty out of your mind.” She informed him archly as he shut the bathroom door behind him. 

“That’s what you like about me.” He reminded her with a grin as they stripped each other, ABBA still filtering through the speakers as they turned on the water and stepped inside.


	35. Take Me To Church by Hozier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just because you have a Soulmate (or more than one) doesn't mean they have to be the be all and end all of your existence. (slice of life)

Darcy cracked her neck, took a deep breath, and then walked forward three steps, hands snapping down on the handles of the double doors and shoving forward at the same time. The doors swung open wide as she walked into the large conference room. One woman, short and curvy, hands fisted on her hips as she took in the assembled group of people with a glare. 

“Fuck every single one of you.” She was unhappy. No, that was an understatement. Turning, she strode right back out the door. It took her less than two minutes to get down to the front where her car was waiting for her. It was a rental and not in her name. Her phone was upstairs on her desk. Jane knew she needed time away and wasn’t bringing it. 

Jane had been the first. Growing up with five soulmates was kind of the complete opposite of awesome. Most of them were likely going to be platonic. _“You’re Darcy? Position’s yours.”_ was Jane and had been such a relief it was almost insane. Jane had two. One was “That’s cool, seeing as we’re soulmates and all.” Thor had been the other. He wasn’t one of her’s, but he’d once told her that it was because she was his sister in all but blood, family didn’t need marks to stay together. As a child who’d grown up in and out of the system because of a mother who couldn’t stay off drugs she wasn’t sure she agreed with him, but it was still impressive. 

Her second was Clint. _”You sure you want to do that, kid?”_ She’d been about to punch a drunk in a shitty pub in London. Her “hell yes I do!” was written squarely across his right peck, and on their first meeting they had been in a bar brawl. Because of Darcy. And it was awesome. You know, until Space Elves invaded and everything went to shit. 

Tony had been a hell of a surprise. _“Hey, you with the rack!”_ had been met with a sigh and a heartfelt “I knew you were going to be an HR nightmare.” They had bonded over music, coffee, and the most ridiculous things they could think of that they had done. She often felt she had the most in common with the jaded billionaire, which was a bit of a head trip when she thought about it for too long. He was dark and twisty and needy, also he came with robots, which was a pretty big win in her book. 

Number four was Maria Fucking Hill. The most insanely put together woman she had ever seen. _“Lewis, I’m giving you an official promotion.”_ Which was cool because it meant doing what she’d been doing, but getting paid a lot more for it. “About time someone noticed my awesome” was traced delicately around Maria’s ankle and usually covered with synthetic skin. She didn’t mind, the woman was almost as paranoid as her predecessor. 

The final participant on “Your Soulmate is Darcy Lewis” was Sam Wilson, the Falcon. A therapist of sorts. It had made a certain sort of sense, considering all the crazies she’d ended up with. Since she was also reasonably sure she, herself, was quite mad, there was that as well.She’d caught him checking out Natasha so he had _“She could break your neck with her thighs.”_ Wrapping around one of his impressive biceps. “There are worse ways to go.” 

Five soulmates, their words scrawled in lines across her back, like someone writing lines on a chalkboard. Five platonic soulmates whom she adored. A built in family, just like she’d always hoped she would get. And yet … 

Darcy hated platitudes, but “the grass is always greener” was ringing through her head at the moment. She loved her people. The ones that the universe had said would always be on her side no matter what, and the ones that she had chosen to keep all on her own. They were hers, every one of them, but sometimes they weren’t enough. Sometimes they were too much. 

A woman had needs. All kinds of needs! The ability to go out for coffee without fifteen texts to ask where she went on her own was one of those needs. Another was dating, or at the very least picking up a guy at a bar and making out with him. Her soulmates meant well. They always did, but they were protective. Even over protective. Tony would run background checks, Clint would give them dead eyes, Sam would be the good old boy you knew could break you, Maria would smirk and have him peeing his pants in moments, and Jane would simply let them know she was engaged to Thor. Yeah, _that_ Thor. 

They were smothering her and nothing she said was doing anything to get it through their heads. She was supposed to be having a date tonight. A date she’d made with a very sweet Stark Industries IT analyst who had stuttered the first few times they talked. Now he was being transferred to a Texas office, all monetary needs being taken care of by SI, of course. That had Maria written all over it. 

Something like that might not have been so bad, except this was the seventh guy in a row this had happened with. The guy from the club, from the coffee shop, from the yoga studio she’d gone to with Pepper ... they meant well, but she needed affection. She got that they worried, especially after the fiasco with Hydra-plant Ian. Sure, she’d ended up with a black eye. He’d ended up unconscious and wrapped up like a mummy in hot pink duct tape and with a couple cracked ribs. She’d won that damned fight. 

She’d also gotten self defense lessons from Maria and Natasha, which was an even better prize. 

Now, though, she was taking a vacation. She needed a break from them. To hit pause on the craziness that was her life and just remember what it was like to take care of herself. She’d done it for a long time before she’d met any of them, she’d be fine for however long it took them to find her. She’d get a running start because she’d talked to JARVIS and instituted privacy codes which were supposed to last for the next four days. That didn’t mean she’d get four days to herself, of course, but it meant she’d get some time. 

She drove south, out of the city and into the packed freeway. She plugged in her trusty iPod to the car and turned on her tunes, singing along as she headed into New Jersey. She hadn’t really made any plans about the trip. It was a spur of the moment thing, well, spur of the hour thing. She’d known she’d need cash and people to have her back and stop people from panicking. Jane was thankfully understanding, and Pepper had taken care of the rest of it. Cash, a company rental car, a hand packing things for a quick getaway, and then a shoulder to cry on when Darcy felt like an ass for needing a couple days to herself. 

New Jersey wasn’t so bad. Very different from driving across the desert, but still nice. People talked a lot of smack about the state, but there were some beautiful stretches which made her smile. She’d planned to stop in somewhere for lunch, but instead she just kept driving. Hours later, just as her playlist came to an end she realized she was in Washington DC. Perhaps it was a sign. Perhaps it was just that she’d always wanted to visit. 

The brunette pulled off the freeway.

Six years before, Darcy had been sure she would one day end up here, in the capital of the country. She didn’t know what she’d be doing. Maybe just making cupcakes or brewing coffee as she dreamed of what could be, but she had _known_ , in that way only dreaming college students with rose colored vision could know, that this was where she’d end up. 

Instead she was in New York working with the Avengers to help save the world. Often in a far too literal sense. She had studied political science, thinking she’d go into law afterward, maybe work for the UN. She’d wanted to save the world. 

_Be careful what you wish for._

She wasn’t sure why she had stopped. Perhaps to brood, but she distracted herself while driving idly through. So she parked. 

The Smithsonian was a place she’d always wanted to go, but had never had the chance. Well, she’d gone to the one in New York, of course, but hadn’t been able to the National Mall. A silly thing to say when one of your soulmates was Tony Stark. There was very little he wasn’t willing to do for her. It was probably why she didn’t like him throwing his money at her. 

She spotted the banner, declaring the Howling Commando collection. The National Museum of American History it was. She walked slowly toward the exhibit. As she walked she wondered how Steve felt about all of this. Sure, he’d stolen his suit from a mannequin to take on Sheildra, but that wasn’t necessarily a healthy take on it. She wondered, then, if anyone had tried to talk to him about it. Perhaps Sam. Sam was good for things like that. Talking things. 

She slowly perused the exhibit, looking up at the life size uniforms. Reading the bios on all of the people Steve had lost. To her, to everyone in the world except Steve, this was 70 years ago, Steve had lived this not even five years ago. He was kind of amazing. She’d have to tell him next time he was back from his search for Bucky Barnes. 

Dark blue eyes watched a small guy grow, going from her height to his current, and rather impressive, height. Until the serum he’d basically been a walking time bomb, likely to catch a cold and die at any given moment. She smiled and shook her head. Stubborn. How people didn’t see that she’d never know. 

Darcy took a seat on a back bench to watch old newsreels of the man the world thought they knew. 

The world wanted to take ownership of anyone popular, claim them to be a thing instead of a person. The Avengers were no different. The media liked to paint each of them as some sort of one dimensional reflection of an actual person. Jane was the pretty scientist Thor dated. Thor was the brainless brawn. Hulk was angry and Bruce didn’t matter. Tony was drunk. Natasha was hot. Sam was an Iraq Vet. Steve was apple pie. Clint was easily ignored. Pepper slept her way to the top. Maria wasn’t to be trusted. 

She got to see the reality. Jane had torn apart the universe to find her soulmate. Thor was marooned on a planet with people so technologically behind what he was used to he might as well wield literal magic. Still he fought to defend the people here, despite his own sorrow. 

Hulk was emotion dialed on high and Bruce got the fallout for it, every time. He’d tried to create something wonderful, something he thought could help people, and he’d failed. Yet he still tried to help, every day, no matter what it cost him on a personal level. 

Tony, possibly the inspiration for Bart Simpson, wanted so badly to be accepted for who he was, and every time that failed he gave people what he thought they wanted, giving into deep depression. Kidnapped and held a half a world away from everything he thought mattered he had decided to change the world. Pepper, the woman that loved him and gave everything she had to protect him as she gripped the reigns of SI in a fist of velvet covered steel and refused to flinch. Much like Maria, who refused to give up, even when everything she’d put her life on the line for had imploded. She’d taken the work to the private sector, lifted her chin and dared everyone to take a shot. 

Natasha was always in pain. Everything she did was to make sure others didn’t have to. She accepted blame and took action that others were afraid to. She didn’t have a lot of tells, but Darcy had figured out more than made the assassin comfortable. Clint was much the same, and often she found him curled up somewhere small, completely asleep. Like he was afraid someone would find him if he were in his room. He’d lost hearing in one ear and still he threw himself off buildings and into sprays of bullets, possibly waiting for the day they hit him and he wouldn’t have to keep fighting. 

Sam had lost his partner and his wings. He’d been floundering at home, trying to find his way, which led him to helping others find their way. He set out his problems, spread his arms, and invited people to view them, to share their own, so that maybe together everyone could figure out how to stay afloat. 

And Steve … he was lost at sea still. He threw himself into missions because he couldn’t face the fact that he’d closed his eyes for an instant and the entire world had changed. His friends had all died, all except his best friend. His best friend who had been brain washed. So he made a new life and tried to forget it all, but there was no forgetting. Not really. 

The bench moved and Darcy glanced over, her face serious from contemplation. 

“Didn’t expect to see you here.” She mentioned, turning back to the screen she hadn’t actually been paying any attention to. 

“I’m pretty sure that’s my line.” Steve retorted, lips quirking up for a moment. 

“I am on vacation.” She informed him, letting out a humorless huff of laughter. Now that she was done being angry she had already decided to give the tower a call and let everyone know where she was. Maybe she’d spend a few days going through all of the museums. 

“Sam called.” Steve told her after a moment of silence. She didn’t bother looking up at him, she didn’t want to know what he was thinking or if he was judging her. 

“Sam is half in love with Natasha.” She replied, her eyebrows pulled together a bit as she watched Steve and the Commandos charge across a field. “I’m pretty sure Clint is as well. Tony is in love with Pepper. Jane and Thor are an epic romance, and Maria is sleeping with Jim, the head of accounting.” 

“Is she? I thought she was seeing the guy from legal.” Steve made a hum of surprise. 

“That was last month.” Darcy shrugged, a fond grin pulling at her lips. She was glad that Maria was enjoying herself. She just would have liked to be able to do the same. 

“So you’re lonely.” Steve surmised after a moment. Now she did look at him, turning her entire head. He had a sad sort of smile on his face and she wondered, not for the first time, how lonely he must be as well. 

“Does this place make you miss them more, or less?” She asked after a heavy beat of silence, turning back to the screen as Dum Dum Dugan started talking. 

“A bit of both.” He admitted. “At least this way I get a chance to see them.” 

“Do you always stop through here on your way back home?” She hadn’t thought about it before, but there was something about the way he spoke that made her think he came here a lot. 

“Most of the time.” He admitted easily enough, resting his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands together. Steve Rogers was an emotional masochist. Actually, the way he threw himself into situations (even before the serum) meant he was an all around masochist. She wished she could find it funny. 

“I love my soulmates.” She didn’t know why she was sharing. Maybe it was because it felt like seeing Steve here was like discovering a secret of his. “Every one of them. When they are assholes or trying too hard to make me happy when I really just need to be mad or to protect me when I don’t actually need it. I will always love them. That will always be a fact. I just … sometimes I feel like they think I’m so much less than they are, you know? And it’s lonely, because none of them are alone, and yet somehow I am.”

“I get that.” He sounded somewhere between sad and amused. “I toured with the USO for an awful long time. The girls, they were sweet. Took care of me and I took care of them, but they were out dancing every night and I was stuck in my room, a government treasure who couldn’t do anything but smile and look pretty.” 

“And punch Hitler.” Darcy was quick to add, the evidence of just such a performance now playing out in front of them. 

“That’s the second guy. The first one I really did punch before the show even started. I hadn’t figured out my strength or how to make my limbs do what I wanted them to. Broke his poor mug.” Steve admitted, a smirk on his face that had Darcy laughing out loud and made people in the front turn and shush them. 

“To be fair your arms ended up a lot longer.” She told him, knocking her shoulder into his upper arm. They both smiled and continued to watch the reels for a little while. 

“Sam knows he messed up.” Steve offered after a moment. 

“I probably shouldn’t have left.” Darcy nodded, knowing the group likely felt bad. How was she supposed to deal with _five_ platonic soulmates, though? And all of them ridiculously hot? Even scrawny Miss Uber-Brain. 

“Actually I think it was the right idea.” Steve told her immediately, crossing his arms and turning his gaze toward her. 

“Really?” She set her palms on the bench and leaned back. 

“Yeah. You don’t have set limits with them and they need to know you have a line you don’t want them to cross. Four of them are very dangerous people who needed someone who isn’t dangerous to trust them. For their own sanity.” He told her, his eyes focused on hers and an intense expression on his face. 

“So I guess, while attempting to make them comfortable and throwing myself into mama bear routine I forgot to take care of my own emotional limits.” She chuckled, channeling Sam for a moment. 

“Soulmates or not, they don’t need to live in your pocket and they don’t need to treat you like a child.” He informed her. 

“You’re pretty smart, you know that?” She stood up and put her hands on her hips. 

“Usually people are telling me I’m a smartass.” He admitted with a shrug and a cocky smirk. She shook her head as he stood up and followed her out of the darkened room. 

“Want to spend a couple days going through the Smithsonian with me?” She asked, trailing through the room and pretending like eyes didn’t follow the tall man in the baseball hat beside her. 

“I think you could twist my arm.” He smiled brightly and she nodded her head decisively.

“Damned right I could, I got trained by Maria and Natasha.” She agreed. Soulmates were difficult, she’d call them tonight and let them know she was on a vacation. Positive note, they wouldn’t have to worry about her if Steve was going to be a pal and hang out. When she got back they were going to have to have a talk about boundaries, but for now it was nice to just do something on her own.


	36. Sacrilege by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Darcy dropped down as the window above her exploded in a spray of glass shards, dropping her tray to cover her head. She didn’t scream, not because she wasn’t scared, but because this wasn’t the first time this had happened. Not even the fifth at this point. She was so over this aspect of having a soulmate. She stayed still a few moments longer, waiting for any other noises to erupt. She took a fortifying breath and popped up on her toes, keeping her head below the window frame for a moment before lifting her eyes.

There was Steve. There was Tony. There was James. There was Clint. Where was … there was Sam. All the boys accounted for. They looked surprised but mostly calm. James was clutching Steve’s shoulders, his head down and but his face tilted up to Steve’s. Steve’s hands fluttered like he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to be doing with them. Clint was helping Sam up from where he was lying against the wall, shaking their heads. Tony’s full attention was on the tablet in his hands. They looked … well not fine, but safe. Not surprised. She stood up fully and took another deep breath, watching them all silently before turning and walking away, paper cups and spilled coffee mixing in with the glass from the window. 

She hit the button for the elevator. At the ding she walked on, turned, pressed the button for her floor, and as she looked up she saw Sam turn into the hall. She shook her head when he opened his mouth, but the metal doors had closed and she didn’t know what she was even shaking her head about. The antics of the boys? The annoyance of her coffee (and everyone else’s) spilling? The glass in her hair? 

The elevator stopped at her floor and she wandered down to her room, painted a bright, cheerful red and quite capable of being used as a whiteboard. She grabbed a black marker and scrawled. “Unavailable” across the door in large, bold letters. She didn’t know what she was feeling right now. Resigned? Tired? Sad? Angry?

She kicked off her shoes just inside her door and stripped as she walked through the living room, leaving the clothes where they fell as she walked. She was silent as she turned on the water in the bathroom, not even glancing in the mirror as she tossed her glasses on the counter. She stepped under the water, her apartment completely silent except for the sounds of the shower.

She cut her fingers trying to get all of the little bits of glass out of her hair, pausing part way through to stare at the red rinsing from her fingers. Darcy shook her head focusing instead on finishing her hair and then stepping out of the shower. 

Twenty minutes later found Darcy carefully putting bandaids on her fingers, having already taken care of the knicks on her face and neck. She was a bleeder, unfortunately, and bruised easily. She always looked like she’d been through worse than whatever had actually happened. Thankfully she always had a small jar of vaseline on her, a trick she’d learned while dating a wrestler. 

Someone knocked gently on her door and Darcy stared for a moment before deciding to answer it. She walked over, opened the door and raised an expectant eyebrow at the tall man in front of her. After staring at one another silently for a few moments she turned and walked back to the couch, the open door invitation enough for Steve to follow her. He started picking up the band aid wrappers instead of sitting down and she rested a hand on his.

“Don’t.” He stilled at the word and slowly backed up, looking around for a moment before sitting on the chair to the left of her like he hadn’t been there so many times before. 

“I’m sorry,” He started. She didn’t let him continue. 

“You have nothing to be sorry for, Steve.” She informed him, voice sounding tired as she sighed. 

“But I feel like I do.” He told her, looking so pained that her face crumpled for a moment. 

“We were friends before we were ever anything more.” She reminded him, taking a deep breath to keep away the tears. 

“I don’t want you to think I don’t love you.” Steve told her, his voice quiet, pleading. Those words told her more than anything else that things were over. She’d known she shouldn’t fall in love. She had known things wouldn’t work. The words printed low across her pelvis had told her that one day everything would implode. _”I will bring you nothing but pain,”_ A promise of a dark future. 

“I know you do, I think that’s why it hurts.” She told him, her chin wobbling again. She got control of herself again, wondering how long that control would last.

“Darcy, please.” She didn’t know what he wanted from her. They were in love, but it wasn’t enough, because the man she was in love with was in love with her soulmate, and had been for most of his life. Where the hell would she ever fit into that equation? 

“Steve.” It was a desperate whisper as the first tear fell from her eye. He stood up and she raised a bandaged hand to stop him. His eyes jumped from band aid to band aid. Sam had no doubt told him she’d been there, had seen the damage caused as Tony tried to work with the arm. The low grade EMP they had only half expected. She’d been there too, had told them she felt useless and gone to get the coffee. Had come back just in time to watch everything go insane, as usual. Had seen that desperate look on Bucky’s face as he peered up at Steve through the curtain of his hair. 

“I do love you,” He told her. Another tear fell. He really did love her, she knew that, just not as much as he loved Bucky. Her soulmate. The man who didn’t like to look at her. The man who was in love with her boyfriend. She could do the math on this equation. No matter how you stacked it she was left on the outside. Alone. 

“I love you too.” She promised, trying to smile through her tears but failing. “But you need to go now. Go see James, he needs you.” He froze, standing before her with that look of anguish on his face before he turned and left. 

Darcy’s hand dropped back down to the couch and she cried herself out. Maybe one day they would have some kind of chance. After the pain had settled into something manageable, something that didn’t make her overdose on self loathing because she dared to be jealous of someone who needed so much help. Someone who was supposed to be hers. What kind of a terrible person was she that she was jealous of her soulmate? She just kept seeing his fingers, metal and flesh, digging into Steve’s shoulders. That desperate look of hope in his eyes.

A tiny part of her hated James right now. Not fair since a larger part of him hated himself. Steve, stuck between the two of them. Maybe she hated him to, even though she loved him. Steve, stuck between the selfish woman and the broken man. Steve, the best person she’d ever met. She loved him and she couldn’t even be happy that the love of his life was alive. Later maybe things would be better. After James was more in control of himself. When he could look at her without the self loathing in his eyes. When he wasn’t staring at Steve like he was the only thing in the world that was good. Right now, though, she needed to just cry and kind of hate herself.


	37. Just One Look by Doris Troy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pure crack! Enjoy!

The man in red and black was grooving in the middle of her living room, katanas still strapped to his back, glocks to his hips, mask over his face. He had a boneless kind of grace that she found impressive and amusing all at once. Like he was a cat. She was rather fond of cats, especially the ratty looking feral ones. 

“So thanks again for saving me from those AIM guys.” Darcy told him, bringing a plate of chimichangas out and setting them on the coffee table. 

“Hey, don’t worry about it. The author is endlessly amused by common plot devices. Usually she twists them about to be something less common, guess she’s losing her touch.” He shrugged and went to sit down, only to slip on nothing and land hard on his ass. 

“Are you okay?” Darcy asked, concern on her face. 

“Yeah I’m fine, probably deserved it. Sorry, Damia!” The man known as Deadpool waved toward the ceiling and Darcy glanced up as well, a bit amused. 

“So the creator of the universe is named Damia?” Darcy asked, picking up one of the delicious and not at all nutritious treats and taking a bite of the cheesey goodness. 

“Nah, she just borrows it sometimes.” Deadpool rolled his mask up to his nose, showing a square jaw covered in scars. 

“I want to borrow a universe.” Darcy declared, imagining the things she could do if she had the power. 

“I saw the news!” Darcy’s soulmate swung through the window, using the momentum to land on his feet and do a slow jog to the brunette on the couch, lifting her up and checking her for damage as she continued to eat her chimichanga, an amused look on her face. 

“Spidey, my favorite arachnoid in spandex!” Wade declared around a mouthful of food, not bothering to get up from his sprawl beside the table. 

“Wade.” Spiderman accepted a kiss on his masked cheek from Darcy before she sat back down, but his focus was on the mercenary. 

“Peter.” The merc copied the other man’s grave tone and shoved another bite into his mouth. 

“I guess I should thank you.” It was grudging, but honest. 

“No thanks needed, Damia just likes to think of me whenever the cheesiest of sixties love songs come on.” Wade told him.

“Who?” Spiderman demanded, confused.

“Damia, she’s apparently borrowing our universe.” Darcy explained.

“Not her best work, but she seems amused.” Deadpool shrugged. 

“What was that about music, though?” Darcy asked.

“So you see, I really care, without you, I’m noooothiiiing.” Wade started singing off key, grooving from the waist up again.

“You’re following this?” Spiderman asked his soulmate.

“Yep. I mean, it explains the dancing.” Darcy nodded. 

“You will never stop amazing me.” Spiderman informed her, grinning. She knew he was smiling from the way the mask shifted, and what did it say that he was wearing his mask so often around her? 

“That’s what I’m here for, now go back out and save the city. Wade and I are going to watch the Golden Girls.” Darcy made a shooing motion with her fingers and sat on the couch again. 

“I love you.” Wade declared, turned to Darcy. 

“Watch it, Wade.” Spiderman told him, hopping out the window and thinking that those two being friends was probably not a good thing. 

“In an alternate universe we are busy attempting to make babies to take over the rule of the world you took over and rule with a gentle fist of steel.” Wade mentioned as the young woman pulled up the menu on the dvd set of the Golden Girls she’d just gotten in the day before. 

“That’s hot.” Darcy told him before pressing play. The rest of the evening was spent comfortably getting to know one another and casually insulting the author, despite the retaliations she visited upon Wade after every comment.


	38. The World Is Yours by Tim McMorris

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a prequel to chapter 37 :)

“Get your ass out of bed.” She grabbed the covers and threw them across the room, face fierce with a frown. 

“What are you -” She cut the surprised man off. 

“Now.” She pointed at the bathroom door expectantly and the man got to his feet, blinking in confusion as he tried to clear sleep from his mind and focus on what was going on. He stumbled through the door, glancing over his shoulder once more. 

Darcy shook her head and took a deep breath through her nose, mouth frowning and arms crossed over her chest until the bathroom door shut. She turned back to the front door and picked up the full bag of groceries she’d brought over. As she opened the fridge she realized that she had possibly underestimated the frightening nature of the contents. Still, working for Jane and having spent time in a co-ed dorm she was no stranger to frightening organic substances which were once edible. 

She had it just about spotless and full of food when the shower turned off. The brunette pulled the hair band off her wrist and pulled her long locks into a messy bun on the top of her head as she turned on the stove and cracked a couple of eggs into a pan she’d already put on the burner. The door opened behind her as she opened the package of bacon and slapped them down on the parchment paper that lined another pan, tucking it into the oven to bake. 

“What are you doing here? How did you even know where I lived?” The man was standing in the doorway, staring at her with wounded brown eyes. 

“I’m making you breakfast.” She lifted the pan rather pointedly as she stirred the eggs with a purple spatula that had a daisy on the end and hadn’t been in his tiny apartment when he’d gone to sleep. 

“Um ... “ He cleared his throat as his hand lifted to scratch the back of his head. “My aunt's voice is in the back of my head telling me to say thank you and remember my manners, but the voice of logic is more worried about how you _found out where I lived and broke in_ to make me breakfast.” 

“You’re welcome.” She grinned up at him as she opened a cupboard and pulled out a paper plate from the stack he had there. Such a bachelor. 

“Let’s back up a moment.” The young man continued, hands in the air as he closed his eyes. She grinned over at him as she dished up the eggs and tossed on a couple slices of toast. 

“A moment ago I was making you breakfast. You’ll want to back up a couple hours.” She informed him, shoving the plate into his hands. He took it and sat at the small card table tucked against the wall. 

“I don’t understand what is going on and that makes me uncomfortable.” He informed her, accepting the fork she passed to him. 

“You’re going to have to get over that one, unfortunately.” She told him, not unsympathetically. He stared at her for a moment before shrugging and taking a bite of his food.

“This is good.” He mentioned. “But I really would like to know what is going on.” 

“You saved my life last week.” She informed him. He choked on his eggs and she opened the fridge to pull out the orange juice and pour him a glass, passing it over. He gave his fridge a distrustful look as he accepted the glass. 

“I-what?” He coughed and sipped the juice, his eyes wide as he looked at her. 

“I know. Pretty much my reaction too. I mean, Spiderman turned out to be my soulmate.” She shook her head as he choked again. She waited until he stopped coughing to continue, she was nice like that. 

“Anyway, I talked to my landlord and he agreed to find you so I could talk to you. Then he told me who you were, and let me just say, I’d already been google-stalking you for like three days straight, when I find out you were really you.” She gestured to him and he blinked at her, his eyebrows coming together in confusion. “Suffice it to say I was a little confused.” 

“You aren’t the only one.” He replied, his face screwing up into a guarded look again. 

“You’re going to need to work on your poker face, Pete, Natasha will eat you alive.” She turned as the oven beeped and pulled out the pan, scooping out bacon and putting it on his plate before grabbing another slice and taking a bite. 

“How did your landlord find me?” Peter decided that was the most pressing question to ask right now. 

“He’s a supercomputer AI, sort of like Skynet with a British accent, he can find anyone.” She smiled brightly before taking another bite. 

“Your landlord is a computer?” The vague sound of disbelief was understandable and Darcy took pity on him. 

“Well, technically it’s Tony, but everyone living there knows it’s really Jarvis.” She shrugged again and finished her slice of bacon. She watched him with wide, innocent eyes as he began to process that information. What she’d found out about him said he was smart. Scary smart like Jane and Tony and practically everyone else in that damned tower, so she wasn’t surprised when he gently set his fork down and looked at her. 

“Who are you?” He asked, a serious look on his face as he stared at her. 

“Darcy Lewis. I’m Dr. Jane Foster’s Executive Assistant and live at Stark Tower.” She told him evenly. “Though I figured you’d start with questions about Tony.” 

“You’re the one standing in front of me.” He replied evenly. 

“Fair enough. Want some more eggs?” She lifted the pan and he held up his plate, thanking her absently when she tossed on more bacon as well. 

“So, you had your AI landlord find me.” Peter continued, hunching his shoulders a bit as he took another bite. 

“Of course I did, how else was going to explain how grateful I am that my words weren’t a one night stand sex thing?” She informed him. He didn’t choke this time, but it was a close thing. 

“What?” He asked. She grinned and pulled her slouchy sweater off, scowling when she focused back on the young man and realized his eyes were screwed tightly shut. 

“Calm your tits, dude, I’ve got a tank top on.” She informed him, voice dry as the desert she’d first met Thor in. Peter opened one eye to peek and then opened both eyes.

“Oh, that makes more sense now.” He nodded as he stared at his own handwriting declaring _“I’m so glad you aren’t a screamer.”_ across her left collarbone. 

“Yeah, and you took off before I could say thank you or something equally innocuous.” She informed him. 

“I guess I should be grateful you aren’t NYPD.” He added lifting his shirt to show off chiseled abdominal muscles and her own words across his right ribs. 

“Yeah, I got really into the moment.” She tried to explain, face scrunched apologetically. 

“After tracking me down, googling my information, and breaking into my apartment.” He clarified. 

“Actually Steve broke into your apartment. I’m not so good picking locks and Thor would have just broken the door down.” She corrected him. 

“Steve?” Peter looked around, but couldn’t see anyone else. 

“He and Sam went back to the tower after they helped me bring the groceries up.” She told him, her tone helpful and the words the opposite. 

“Steve, who lives in the tower with you. Like the Avengers.” He blinked twice and then cleared his throat, trying to wrap his brain around this information. “Are you telling me that Captain America broke into my apartment to help you bring me groceries?” 

“Of course not!” She shook her head and Peter let out a deep breath, smiling and shaking his head. “He’s only Cap when he’s in uniform. This was just Steve being a bro. Well, also because he's got an addiction to romcoms andthinks they could be real." She assured him, making him stare at her with wide eyes as his mouth dropped open. 

“I’m have a very surreal moment, right now.” He told her, nodding his head and looking down at his eggs. 

“Totally understandable.” She nodded and then took the seat across from him so they could look at each other. 

“I’m sorry about Gwen Stacey.” Darcy held his gaze as his face creased into an expression of pain. 

“You know about Gwen?” He asked, gulping as he tapped the fork on the plate and looked at the table instead of Darcy. 

“She sounds amazing.” Darcy offered, instead of going down the road of grief. The dates had all matched. Finding out that Peter, who made a living taking pictures of Spiderman, was actually Spiderman had made an awful sort of sense. It was why he’d spent months not being seen. He was grieving. 

“She was.” He agreed quietly, still not looking up at her. 

“Well. You’re my soulmate, I am yours, and I have taken it upon myself to take care of you.” She smiled again. 

“Wait, what?” The sudden topic change threw him for a moment, it was a tactic Darcy had been using for years. 

“You are a young bachelor grieving for the love of his life. I am your soulmate. I get to take care of you.” She kept smiling. 

“A - you’re younger than I am. B - I’ve been taking care of myself for a while now.” He informed her, his eyes narrowing as he eyed her. 

“A - semantics. B - you’re going to have to get over that.” She crossed her arms and his mouth dropped open again as he stared at her, not sure what he should be saying at this point. “I needed to know who you were because you were meant to be my person. Maybe you’re my person because I’m really good at taking care of people and you’re too busy taking care of the city to take care of yourself.”

“I do fine on my own.” He told her after a few moments, setting his fork down and dropping his hands in his lap as he slouched down in his chair. 

“I never said you didn’t.” Darcy offered him a sad smile, one that said she knew something of sorrow. He didn’t look up and so didn’t see it. She wouldn’t intrude on his grief with any of her own, they could share stories when the pain wasn’t so fresh. 

“What time is it?” He finally asked. 

“Ten.” She snagged a piece of bacon off his plate and tilted her head to the side as she stared at him. 

“Why did you come over?” He asked, standing up to toss his now empty plate in the trash. 

“I thought we could go to the zoo.” She told him smiling brightly. 

“The zoo?” He asked, giving her an odd look. 

“I’m an overly excited kindergartner at heart.” She informed him. 

“I don’t even know you!” He cried, throwing his hands in the air as he stared at her incredulously. 

“I’ll forgive you for that.” She offered with a negligent shrug.

“That doesn’t even make sense.” He bent over at the waist to look her in the eye. She grinned back, unperturbed. 

“We can do something else if you want.” She told him easily. The stared at her for a few long moments before blinking.

“The zoo is fine.” He stood up straight and shook his head as he grabbed his wallet and jacket. 

“Yay! I told Clint he could pick me up there at two.” She grinned as she pulled on her sweater again and grabbed her purse. 

“Of course you did.” He shook his head, still not entirely sure what was going on, but deciding it was safer to just go with it for now. 

“There’s a spider exhibit going on you might like.” She told him with a grin as they walked down the hall. 

“I don’t even know how to respond to that.” He informed her after a beat of silence. 

“You can just say thank you.” She grinned up at him as they started down the stairs. 

“Not really where I was going to go with that, but also an option.” He agreed, shaking his head and laughing despite himself. Captain America had broken into his apartment and his soulmate worked with Dr. Jane Foster, he had a feeling Gwen was somewhere mocking him for his inability to form coherent sentences. That or she was laughing hysterically.


	39. Hit Me Like A Man by The Pretty Reckless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A "what if ..." take on soulmates.

Darcy bounced on her toes, ponytail swinging behind her, gloved fists up at her chin as Clint nodded to her, circling slowly and watching her form. He’d known her longer than anyone else in the shitshow known as Avengers or Stark Tower, it depended on which resident you asked. Well, other than Jane, but Jane was in Asgard and had promised Clint a very real and quite painful death should anything happen to Darcy. Not that it mattered, he would have kept an eye on her anyhow. 

“You’re leaving your left side open. Still.” He told her as she attacked the bag in front of her, sweat dripping down her ribs and her forehead. She dropped her left elbow again, trying to remember not to twist her arm when she punched. They’d been doing this for about five months now and it was doing wonders for her curves; toning up her stomach, butt, and thighs without touching the ladies or her hips. It was hard, but it was something to focus on. Something other than the words trailing in neat cursive across the ribs on her right side. She was always careful to protect those. 

“Harder, you’ve got more in you.” Clint barked, moving forward to hold the bag while she beat all of her frustrations into it. All of her anger, her fear, and her pain. All of it into the bag, the bag could hold her heavy shit. That was what Clint had told her when he’d caught her staring out a window, face blank, watching the rain instead of joining the party downstairs. The young woman shouted in wordless rage, pounding into the sand bag with all she had until she could barely lift her arms. She stepped forward, resting her forehead against the black material. 

“Thanks, Speedy.” She told him, eyes closed and panting hard. A moment later something cold touched her shoulder and dark blue eyes looked over. He’d brought her water, ever the watchful older brother. 

“I think I might be insulted. I’m much too suave to be a sidekick.” Clint informed her, smirk on his lips. She shook her head and sauntered across the floor toward the pile that was her towel and gym bag. 

“You keep telling yourself that, Roy.” She informed him, sending a smile over her shoulder. He flung the cap from his water bottle at her, pinging her right on the left ass cheek. She turned to give him a dirty glare as she grabbed her towel and started wiping sweat off of her forehead and neck. As she cooled down Steve walked in and Darcy couldn’t help watching him. It wasn’t because he was pretty (though it was a very nice bonus), she stared because he had put their world into a new sort of chaos, disrupting everything around them. He was why Maria had come to work here all those months ago, why Darcy now worked for Maria instead of Jane (which was really a smart move, actually) and why Darcy was no longer sure how to react to him. 

She stared at him, at that chiseled jaw and the aquiline nose, and she got lost for a moment as she thought back to those ridiculous trading cards she had teased Phil about. He had grown up in a broken home with a nasty man who had no honor, and so he’d looked to Captain America, a man you could be proud of. He’d idolized him, trying to be someone Steve Rogers would approve of, be proud of. She couldn’t imagine how happy he must have been to meet the man in the flesh, how excited he must have been at the mere thought of being able to so much as say hello to him. 

“Hi, Darcy.” Steve said, his voice a bit hedgy. She made him nervous, she wasn’t sure why. Not a lot of people knew what the marks on her skin meant. The words etched into her heart and soul, not just her flesh. “I’m sure you are quite aware of why that will not be happening, Ms. Lewis, have a nice day.” The words had made her so _angry_ when she’d heard them. Who did he think he was to just say “have a nice day”!? Especially after ganking all of her and her boss's stuff. That was years ago, though, and times had changed. 

“Hi Steve.” The pause between their greetings was too large, too noticeable. Darcy turned her head, not wanting to look at him any longer. Not wanting the reminders. She grabbed her equipment and walked out of the room, leaving Clint to deflect or ignore as he so chose. It wasn’t the first time she’d left Clint to clean up her mess, wouldn’t be the last. 

After a shower and change of clothes Darcy made her way back up to the “Avengers” floor where all the managerial, political, and ridiculous things which made their erstwhile team run smoothly happened. Since bringing in Sam “Falcon” Wilson and, hopefully soon, bringing in James Barnes, they needed a support team for the group. Maria Hill led it with a military ruthlessness which surprised no one, but she was still amazingly good at the politics and very good at hiding her actual thoughts. Darcy could read her like a book, though, and in so proving it had been kidnapped from the sciences by the no nonsense woman and put to some actual use. The younger woman _loved_ it. 

Not long after she’d gotten comfortable in her new position she’d realized that Maria not only knew about her soul mark, but she knew Phil was her soul mate. It had left a rather gaping hole in her heart for a few days, before she’d figured out how to pin the edges back together again. She didn’t know where Phil was, she didn’t know what he was doing, all she knew was they’d told her he was dead and when she’d stripped down in front of the bathroom mirror, frantic and sobbing, the marks had faded to gray. Three days later, however, they were black again. She’d thought maybe it just took a little while to stay gray, that perhaps there was a waiting time. Two years later, though, and the marks had not faded again in the least. She was still a sobbing mess on occasion, but always in the privacy of her own room where no one else could see her or judge her. The rest of the time she’d just get quiet and distracted. Clint usually found her and made her do something physically exhausting. It was sweet and she appreciated it, but it never stopped her mind from racing through every scenario she could come up with. 

All she knew for certain was that SHIELD would always be first in Phil’s mind. She, if she was lucky, would be second. The worst of it was that she knew that, but Phil was still first in hers. 

It wasn’t common knowledge that Phil had a soulmate, it was less common knowledge who that person was. If Phil even remembered who she was. Sometimes she woke in a cold sweat convinced that Phil had no idea what had happened in the last few years, couldn’t remember her or New Mexico - that she might as well be dead to him. 

Clint knew Phil wasn’t dead. He’d shared as much with Natasha, if no one else. He wasn’t usually one to offer up information to people, but Natasha was his partner, and Phil was their handler. As such that meant that Darcy was their business. Thor didn’t understand why the two were so protective of her, and by extension Jane, but he appreciated it. 

She took her time in the shower, double conditioning her hair before getting out and dressing to go back up to do some real work. She nodded to Maria as she passed, heading to her own desk. She would never like the woman, not when she was one of those that put SHIELD, even though it technically didn’t exist at the moment, ahead of all else. Darcy had no doubt that Maria knew where Phil was, or at least how to get hold of him. 

She was Maria fucking Hill, after all. She knew everything that mattered. 

Phil mattered. He would always matter. For now, though, Darcy did her job and worked in the system. She’d find him and make him wish she hadn’t for a little while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I am not gone, I've just been super busy with life change kind of stuff. Trying to work on my health and getting into shape has lead to an extreme addiction to obstacle course racing. This saturday is my last race of the season (The Seattle Super Spartan) and then I'll be back to writing and that will hopefully get Tiz to stop giving me sad puppy eyes. XOXO - Damia


	40. Sacrilege by Yeah Yeah Yeah's - part two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy get's kidnapped and rescued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: molestation, abuse, attempted rape, and panic attacks.  
> \- this chapter was posted before Tiz had a chance to do her stuff, so mistakes are mine. - Damia

She pressed her tongue against the cut on her lip, dark blue eyes turning to the man who had ordered her punched. The minion doing the grunt work was unimportant at the moment. She needed to focus on the guy making the decisions. The one dumb enough to take her and think she’d roll over and squeal like the proverbial pig. 

“Not your wisest move, dude.” She informed him, spitting a gob of blood and spittle onto the floor. 

“Pain can be quite the motivator.” The man smiled, friendly in his suit and tie. If he was closer she would have spit the blood on his neatly pressed pants. 

“And believe me, I will be motivated at some point.” She agreed, tilting her head to the side and rotating her jaw. For now she planned to bluff until she thought of something better. “The question is if you will get to that point before my Soulmate shows up.” Wide lips quirked up in a smirk and that man frowned a bit more, turning to the man beside him and whispering something quickly. It wasn’t in her paperwork. It wasn’t written down anywhere. She hadn’t even put anything on facebook or twitter about him. She had instead been trying to avoid him and her ex boyfriend who was kind of in love with him. For months, now, she’d been avoiding them and they her. These guys didn’t need to know that, though. 

Currently these douche bags were fucking Darcy up in an attempt to gather intel enough to get to Jane and/or Thor. Bad move to start with. The irreversible truth was that he was hers and she was his. They may not get along very well at the moment, but part of her thought he might still come for her. At the very least Steve would. She had asked for space, after all, not death.

“Ms. Lewis there are a great many things in your file. Details to which I am certain you do not want me privy to, however what is not in your file is your Soulmate. I’m afraid I simply don’t believe you.” He smiled at her. It would have been charming if she weren’t wishing she could melt his eyeballs with hot wax. He turned to the minion and nodded once. She didn’t even see the fist until her stomach was aching and she was struggling to breathe. 

“Oh, man, you suck so much donkey dick,” She wheezed, trying to laugh instead of sob. 

“Vulgarities will get you nowhere, Ms. Lewis. Where is the new Avengers base of operations located and is that where Dr. Foster is currently conducting her research.” He almost sounded bored at this point. They were easy questions. She could answer one of them. She wasn’t built for pain or to withstand it, after all. She was an office manager and science wrangler and occasional PR mastermind, depending on her mood and how much Candy Crush she’d been playing. 

“That wasn’t vulgar,” Darcy corrected,standing a little straighter. She didn’t need to jerk her arms any harder, the shoulder sockets were getting enough abuse with her arms tied above her head. “Vulgar would be calling you a cum guzzling gutter slut with a penchant for beastiality.” She smiled brightly at him, enjoying the way his calm facade broke for a moment. Her number one talent, according to teachers throughout her history, was the ability to anger authority figures. 

“Ms Lewis,” He cleared his face quickly and took off his jacket, laying it neatly across a box as he began rolling up one sleeve and then the other. “I’m beginning to think you don’t understand the severity of your situation.” 

“Funny, I was thinking the same thing.” She shot back. His hand whipped out, catching her across her cheek bone before he grabbed her chin and yanked her head forward again, fingers rock hard as they dug into her pale skin. She took a moment to revel in the pain, knowing she had gotten to him the way he wanted to get to her, 

“There are a great many stimulants that can make one speak out of turn. Pain is the easiest. Physical pain, however, is only one part. Emotional pain,” His smile was cruel as he let go of her face in order to carefully unbutton her shirt. “Emotional pain lasts a lifetime, and is quite often more interesting.” As her shirt fell open completely his fingers strayed to her breasts, gently tracing the edge of her bra. The young woman was frozen, completely in shock at the turn the situation had taken. 

“You don’t see the difference between raping someone and beating them?” The words came out without thought, what the man was saying and doing throwing her for a loop. Who did something like this? What kind of a person jumped from kidnapping to beating to rape? Actually … when she broke it down like that it made a horrifying kind of sense. 

“Are the acts really so different?” He asked his hands skimming along her lush curves like a buyer at a horse auction. “I took away your sense of safety. Asked you to choose between yourself and your friends. You chose poorly and now I must make you regret that decision. It was a simple bargain, you for them. Do you think they would agree with your choice?” He tucked his fingers into the waist of her leggings and pushed down. Would they agree? Steve wanted James safe. Thor wanted Jane safe. Steve had already chosen her soulmate over her... 

“Fuck you,” She twisted her hips and kicked out, the ice that had invaded her senses melting so she could attempt to defend herself. A second pair of hands gripped her waist as the man in the suit stripped off her leggings, leaving her in her bra and underwear, shirt hanging open. It was one of Thor’s and smelled like safety and thunderstorms. 

“Now you begin to see,” He agreed. It was probably seconds, but it felt like long minutes that she struggled futilely and they pulled her to the ground, shackling her feet wide while the man who had hit her earlier held her hands still above her head. 

“We both know you know where the base is, Ms. Lewis.” He asked her. She shook her head and a knife was placed under her bra, neatly severing the band between her breasts. 

“Yeah.” Darcy agreed, her eyes wide and beginning to fill with tears. “I hope you die.” She closed her eyes and he laughed, finally sounding like he was enjoying himself. 

“I’m beginning to think you aren’t as smart as they think you are,” His mouth as at her ear as he whispered and she could feel him move down her body, his tongue scraping across her pelvis, right over the words she knew were written in neat script. _”I will only bring you pain”_ She tried to pull away from them, but there was nowhere to go.

“If you have to be disgusting and degrading, the least you could do is not draw it out.” She snarled, eyes snapping open as a tear fell. He laughed again, his pale green eyes lit up with a malice she’d never seen before. He was sadistic and cruel, but his eyes were so pretty. Why couldn’t evil people look icky? 

“It wouldn’t hurt as much if I didn’t draw it out.” He reminded her, biting her nipple sharply and making her cry out in horrified pain. She had been that girl in college who had done many walks of pride the morning after a frat party. She liked sex, enjoyed getting a good buzz on, and was firmly of the opinion that your body and joy should never be something that you should ever be ashamed of. She gloried in her sexuality. She’d never had it used against her. 

“Why me?” It had been bothering her for the last few hours. She wasn’t high up in the food chain, she wasn’t integral to the day to day workings. She was no one. 

“The peons always know more than they should. Especially the pretty ones. Besides, rumor has it you were warming the good Captain’s sheets before his old pal showed up.” He told her, his grin and tone making her think that this had always been his plan from the beginning. Good to know. He moved higher, licking along her jaw. She shuddered, but instead of turning her head away like she wanted to she curved her neck and sunk her teeth into his ear. She bit hard as he shouted and the other man let go of one wrist to knock her in the head. Her teeth snapped together through the ear and she jerked, ripping off the top of the man’s ear. She spit it out, laughing as it bounced down onto her chest. Now he could feel some of her pain.

The man’s face was red with pain and rage, she couldn’t hear his shouting, though, alarms had started going off in the building. She laughed because it was better than crying, but the hysteria was there. Her people had come for her.

Both her wrists were released as the two men left the room, one man with his hand pressing into his ear, the other with a gun out to cover him. Darcy sat up, her first move to jerk on the metal bands around her ankles, trying to get her feet free. When that didn’t work she tried to get to the table that had the torture devices on it, her fingers were maybe three inches too far. Still, she struggled to get closer, stretching as hard as she could. When that didn’t work she took off her shirt, trying to whip it out enough to make the instruments scatter. It didn’t quite work like she wanted it too, but watching the scalpels fall to the floor in front of the door didn’t seem too bad an option. Maybe someone would wear really thin shoes. 

Slim legs filled the door and Darcy traced her gaze up to the closed face of the Black Widow. The other woman’s eyes took in the entire scene, eyes zeroing in on the bit of flesh now on the floor beside the other woman. 

“Ear?” The redhead asked. 

“I don’t think he quite understood what he was getting into.” She told the other woman, laughing again. The hysterical note was still in her voice. Natasha dropped to a crouch, eyeing the manacles and then pulling out a few pins from her belt and flicking them just so in order to get the metal bits to pop open. Darcy scrambled to her feet, taking off her ruined bra and slipping on the shirt and buttoning it with shaking fingers. Natasha handed her the leggings that had been crumpled on the floor and she slid them back on, not at all sure where her shoes were. 

“Objective secure.” The redhead announced into her comm before turning back to the brunette “We need to go. Watch your step.” Darcy carefully stepped around most of the instruments on the floor, but picked up one small, sharp knife she was pretty sure she could stab someone with if she needed to. 

They left the room, Darcy trying not to shake as she followed the other woman, knife held in a too tight grip. They made it out of the building without further mishap, Darcy still shaking and Natasha with a gun in each hand, eyes scanning their surroundings. 

“Do we need to talk about what happened?” Natasha asked as they sped through the building, her eyes never going to the younger woman. She didn’t need to look at her to talk to her, she did, however, need to look where she was going to provide proper cover fire. 

“Nothing happened.” Darcy informed her, voice flat. 

“Something happened.” Natasha replied, voice even. Darcy wrapped her arms around herself. 

“Something happened, something worse was _going_ to happen. Worse didn’t happen, though, and right now I would like to be in denial.” Darcy corrected, a shiver going own her spine. She wasn’t sure what she felt at the moment, other than a lot of disgust, some relief at the rescue, and a bit of fear that it wasn’t over yet. 

“I’ll get you back to the tower.” The calm assertion did a lot for Darcy, Natasha was the most dangerous woman in the world, after all. 

By the time they got out of the building and into the quinjet Darcy was shaking like a leaf in a windstorm and Natasha had to buckle her into her seat. Clint had eyeballed the girl and chosen not to say a word as he started up the jet. It was another few minutes before Steve and Sam joined them and they could take off. Natasha settled in beside the other woman and every time one of them opened their mouth she shot them a heavy lidded look and they chose not to speak. 

When the quinjet landed Darcy was unbuckling and dashing outside, throwing up what little was left in her stomach. Hands tried to pull her hair back, but she lashed out, twisting away with wide eyes as Steve carefully raised his hands and took a step back. 

“Come on, Lewis. Down to medical.” She helped Darcy to her feet and walked her to the elevator while the men shared a look. Darcy leaned heavily into Natasha as they walked to the infirmary, the doctor meeting them at the door. A good look at Darcy’s chalk white face was all she needed to start explaining to the girl what she wanted to do before actually doing it. 

Darcy had a lot of bumps and bruises and some nasty contusions on her wrists and ankles as well as a single slice between her breasts when he’d cut her bra. It wouldn’t need stitches but it would hurt like a bitch while it healed. They took a blood sample and then Darcy was allowed to go back to her room.

Natasha walked her to her door but Darcy didn’t want her to come in. She did pick up one of the pens to write “I’m fine” across the cheery red after Natasha finally turned to leave. It was no one’s business but her own if she had stripped her clothes off and cried, naked on the floor, before getting up to take a shower. 

The shower was supposed to make her feel better. 

It started with trying to scrub away the feel of his hands and his tongue, the water hot enough to burn. It ended with her huddled on the floor of her shower, sobbing as the water beat down and turned her skin red. This was Stark Tower, after all, and the water wouldn’t go cold. 

Friday tried to get her attention, but she wasn’t Jarvis and couldn’t read the occupants like he could. Darcy ignored her, sobbing harder and unsure what was the most upsetting thing about the day. The kidnapping, the molestation, the attempted rape, or the fact that her soulmate wasn’t even part of the rescue mission. 

The water turned off and arms were trying to pull her up, but she fought. Slapping and scratching and keening like some kind of wounded animal, The person didn’t say anything, just wrapped a heavy towel around her and pulled her into his chest. She stopped fighting when she realized he wasn’t even defending himself. She tilted her head up and met the stormy blue eyes of James Barnes. 

“Friday called me. Soulmate protocols.” He told her after a few moments of staring. She didn’t reply, just stared up at his face. Her own was too pale, dark bruises already beginning to shadow in. When she didn’t move or say anything else he started to lead her into her room. Once there he helped her into her pajamas, a heavy flannel set that needed to be buttoned. She wasn’t in a bra but his eyes lingered on her varied injuries, the marks painting a picture she didn’t need to explain. 

When he’d gotten Darcy into bed she turned her huge, dark eyes to him. “You don’t have to stay.”

“Yeah, I do.” He replied, sitting down on the floor, his back against the wall and his long hair a mess around his shoulders as he lifted a knee to set his flesh arm on and let the other leg stretch out. 

“I’m fine.” She assured him, the words echoing false to both of them. 

“Me too.” Funny, that one didn’t sounds quite as fake, but her sudden exhaustion left her not wanting to understand the nuances of the man in the room with her. Not now. 

“The Captain is asking after you, Sergeant.” Friday’s voice tone in, sounding a bit regretul but needing to do her job. 

“You can go. Be with Steve.” She couldn’t, but she had loved that man dearly. He deserved happiness. She turned on the bed, facing the ceiling and wondering if she would ever be happy. 

“I couldn’t go with them. They wouldn’t let me. I wanted to be there.” He was talking to her, his voice soft, guarded. She didn’t look at him. Wouldn’t respond. Didn’t know how to. 

“Friday, tell the Captain I am busy.” He didn’t move from his spot, just continued to watch her. “I won’t leave you alone tonight.” He was still talking and she wished it didn’t make her feel better. She wished he wasn’t her soulmate. Wished she hadn’t been in love with Steve. Wished Thor wasn’t on Asgard and Tony wasn’t in California. She wished a lot of things, but mostly she wished for the oblivion of sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is now under it's own umbrella in the Music for the Soul(mate) universe, if you would like to read the continuation please check it out!


	41. Run (Run Run Run) by Flobots

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony kidnaps his soulmate and shit gets awkward. Pure crack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys! I did the thing and got a Tumblr - I have never had a tumblr. Not sure what all I should do with it, but Tiz is helping. If you want to go say hi to me there, I am MsDamia

“You’re an ass.” Darcy informed the man in front of her, glowering. 

“It’s one of my better qualities.” The man shrugged and she wanted to hit him. She’d already hit him about nine times and they’d known one another for two hours. He was obnoxiously unimpressed by her violence. Mostly because he’d confiscated her tazers. If she’d had those, he’d have been toast. Thor didn’t call her little lightning sister for nothing. 

“Aren’t you a little old to be kidnapping young women and holing them up in your tower?” She demanded, changing tacks again. She had been doing this for over an hour, needling him from different angles in hopes of getting a different reaction. 

“Who are you calling old, half stack?” The man demanded, his sunglasses slipping down his nose so he could glare at her from above them. 

“Who are you calling short, Mr. I wear a bright red suit with lifts in the heels.” Darcy shot right back, standing up and getting closer. He twisted his body to the side, hips protecting his delicate bits in case she went that route again. 

"Those are necessary for flight." Tony Stark sniffed derisively. 

“Flight, height, same difference.” Darcy made a dismissive gesture with her hand. 

“This is crazy.” Tony threw his hands in the air and began pacing. Again. 

“No, _you’re_ crazy.” Darcy rounded on him once more. “You’re the one who thought “Oh hey, looks like we’re soulmates, I’d better kidnap you instead of asking your name and what your favorite color is.”” Darcy scowled at the man. 

“I have been waiting twenty six years to meet the person who was destined to be my other person.” Tony defended himself poorly and if Darcy wasn’t so upset she might have grinned. 

“And yet your first words to me were “oh good, you’re shorter than I am.”!?” She threw her hands in the air. 

“Hey, you’re the one that said to call you little lightning sister. I was expecting some kind of new age hippy.” Tony informed her. 

“What’s wrong with new age hippies?” So maybe she was just spoiling for a fight. That was fine, her soulmate was too. 

“What _isn’t_ ” His derisive tone set her teeth on edge and she clenched her jaw. 

“I’m going to smother you in your sleep.” She declared a moment later. 

“Fair enough.” He actually stopped and thought about it before responding and now she was absolutely sure he was insane.

“Where is your magical other half? Pepper Potts?” Darcy demanded, stalking around the room again. 

“Inbound.” He didn’t look at her when he said it, shrugging a touch and fiddling with a small metal 

“Good. She can clear up all of this insanity.” The young woman waved her hands about and glowered at him again. 

“At least I’m hot. You could have done a lot worse.” Tony pointed out, making her shoot another glare at him. 

“You aren’t the avenger I wanted to climb like a tree and ride like a bronco, though. No offense.” Darcy shot back, not actually caring if she offended him or not. 

“Fair enough. Pepper is already the love of my life. So I guess that makes us even.” He shrugged once, looking at her out of the corner of his eyes as she turned a disbelieving look to him. 

“They why they hell did you grab me like that!? I’ve been sitting here worrying that you want some kind of crazy harem.” She was gesticulating wildly as she shouted at the man who merely shrugged once again. 

“What the actual fuck dude.” She let out an annoyed huff and dropped heavily into a chair. That was how Pepper Potts found them, almost a full hour later. Darcy glowering at the Stark Tablet she was watching Phineas and Ferb on and Tony fiddling with something small and shiny that she didn’t want to know the details of. 

“Really, Tony?” She didn’t sound angry, just resigned and a touch sad. 

“Don’t worry, if we get our shit together it’s totally platonic.” Darcy announced, shooting a dark look at the man in question as Pepper turned raised eyebrows toward the younger woman. 

“I already took care of your student loans, your car loans, and gave you a new tablet. What more do you want?” Tony demanded, a whine in his voice that had Pepper blinking in surprise. As far as she knew only herself and, on rare occasions, Rhodey had ever gotten that tone of voice from the genius. 

“Thor to punch you for me since my fists are apparently not doing the job properly.” Darcy shot back. 

“Violence is not the answer, Lewis.” Tony intoned, putting together the pieces in front of him. 

“Says the man that shoots laser beams out of his armored hands.” The young woman turned up the sound on the tablet. 

“Again, not lasers.” Tony replied, twitching just a little as Pepper blinked twice and realized maybe she didn’t need to worry quite so much about them. Thor had certainly seemed jovial about the whole business, but Jane had been … upset was putting it mildly. 

“Again, don’t care.” The young woman was short, curvy, and dark haired. Almost the complete opposite of Pepper, herself, the CEO noted. She focused on their differences in the hope that they wouldn’t really make a difference to her relationship with Tony. 

“Here. A tazer.” Tony stomped over to the girl and thrust the small, silver contraption at her. Darcy looked at it, looked up at him, and then back to the small silver cylinder. 

“Really?” Her eyes narrowed, distrust obvious. 

“Yes. Decades beyond the crap you had with you before, though. This could drop a super soldier.” Now this tone, this tone Tony used on everyone. It was his “look at me, I’m a genius and better at all the things than everyone else.” tone. Pepper sighed lightly as the girl took the cylinder, looking it over carefully 

“How many charges does it have?” She asked him, still inspecting it. 

“Four at the moment, but we can do better than that.” Tony assured her, waving a hand. “If I-” His voice cut off as prongs shot into his abdomen and he dropped like a stone. Pepper made a sharp cry of surprise, taking two forward, as though to get between the two. She was always trying to protect him. 

“Don’t worry, he should be fine.” Darcy assured her with a sharp smile as she retracted the prongs and Tony continued to shake on the ground. “I wouldn’t touch him ‘til the shakes stop. I’m gonna go make popcorn, watch some more cartoons maybe. Let Tony know we’re even now, would you?” She wandered off in the direction of the kitchen, grabbing her phone off the work desk Tony had been using and hitting a number on speed dial. Pepper shook her head once, not sure if she was amused or horrified at the universe putting those two individuals together.


	42. Extra Ordinary by Lucy Hale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Extra Ordinary by Lucy Hale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We did some massive reorganization to this story & look what happens! :)

She was a side character. One of the those girls who was all big eyes and red lips and curves. She was made for sex and sarcasm, not for brains and input. She got that, especially after she met Jane. In fact, meeting Jane made her okay, for the first time, with being a sassy sidekick. She got shit done for her lady-love, sister from another mister, Janey-poo. She made sure Jane had what she needed to rewrite the laws of astrophysics as they knew them and rip holes in space and time. 

Being overlooked when standing beside the awe inspiring intellect who was Jane Foster was completely okay. At least, that was what she liked to say. The thing was, even as she said it she knew it wasn’t completely true. The rest of the world saw her as a supporting character, but Jane sees her as a partner. An equal and someone she couldn’t live without. That was the real reason why Darcy stayed. Because no one else’s opinions mattered. She and Jane were soulmates. The rest of the world be damned. 

But they weren’t each other’s only soulmates. Both of them having been blessed with two, not unheard of, but not common. It made more sense after they met Thor. An alien prince who had to go on some pretty epic intergalactic business trips. He appreciated Jane had Darcy in his absence, and she appreciated he understood sometimes she had to taze him when she had decided he wasn’t being good enough to Jane. 

Thor didn’t think she was invisible, either. Jane didn’t understand how anyone could, but Darcy understood. She wasn’t the pretty girl. Wasn’t the popular girl. Wasn’t the smart girl. She was just a girl. Ordinary, despite her rather epic social media skills. 

Moving to the new Avengers facility was a bit daunting. Everyone was a freaking superhero! Well, most people were. Those who weren’t were still amazing. Dr. Cho? Jane? Then there was Darcy. She pasted a smile on her face, one Jane saw through immediately, and went in with her head high to build her own place in the midst of the heroic shit she expected to be going on. 

She did her job, spent most of her time in her rooms, Jane and Thor’s rooms, or the labs, and stayed mostly invisible. She made friends with other admin and help staff, remembered to play nice with the science assistants and started mother henning them when they realized she wasn’t so much a science manager as a scientist manager. There was a distinct difference. She helped, but she made sure they knew she belonged to Jane, not them. 

It was interesting. She convinced Tony to upgrade her tazer so it could be used on Thor. He seemed to think that was an amazingly good use of time. Jane had frowned, Thor had laughed. Things worked out well, even when she eventually used it on the man. 

“Darcy, my Lightning Sister, I have peace when I leave Jane with you as I know you will always take care of her in my absence.” Thor informed her when she downed him on his return from a “short” trip which had taken him three weeks. At this point Jane didn’t even argue with the other girl’s penchant for electro-shock revenge. 

“Thor, buddy, I missed you.” She held her arms open and let him draw her into a huge bear hug. Thor gave great hug. 

“As I missed you.” He dropped a fond kiss onto the top of her head and let her go to move to Jane. 

“This is considered normal?” A new voice asked, confusion and amusement warring in his voice. She turned and blinked twice at the man. He was tall. Very tall, Thor tall, with wide shoulders and direct eyes. 

“Normal for them, come see the gym I set up, it’s got a little touch of Brooklyn, just for you.” Tony patted the taller man on his shoulder and led him out. 

“Ma’am.” The man, Steve fucking Rogers, nodded to her once with a polite smile and then moved on without a second glance while he listened to Tony wax poetic about his remodels. 

_This is considered normal?_ had been a source of pain and fear and hope and confusion for all of her life. Pegged as weird by one of your soulmates at first glance isn’t exactly something every girl is hoping to see scrawled across her collarbone. Captain America had just said her words. _Her_ words. 

Jane and Thor were moving toward their quarters and had missed the interaction. She turned, dark blue eyes following the two men down the hall as she tried to make sense of what had just happened. She was the lab rat handler. She wasn’t, she didn’t, she … what? Darcy lifted a hand to hover over her chest where her heart was pounding.

“Yeah, he has the affect on people.” Sam, she had met before. She offered him a warm smile. 

“Welcome back,” She decided to ignore the confused feelings for now, trying to figure out what had just happened and if it actually _had_ happened. 

“Good to be back. I hadn’t realized how much I’d miss it.” He told her, a rueful grin on his face. 

“Got heroed by the masses, huh?” She asked, having seen that look a few times now. 

“You know, it wouldn’t be so bad if it was the masses. It’s when you get it from people you know, people who know the real you. Like suddenly I’m a stranger.” He sighed and shook his head before smiling down at the brunette. “And there I go sharing with you again.”

“That’s what friends are for.” She reminded him, looping an arm around his waist and tugging him toward the labs and the cafeteria beside it. 

“Are you gonna feed me again? I told my mama about you, she said I’d better not let you break my heart.” Sam told her with an easy laugh. 

“Hey now, if anyone’s the heartbreaker in this relationship, it’s you. Besides, I made honey peach muffins.” She informed him, dragging him to the cafeteria and the large plate with a sign beside it that said _Eat at own risk!_

“Really?” He asked, voice dry as he read the sign and took the muffin she handed him. 

“Gotta keep them on their toes.” She offered him a wink and he laughed loudly as he sank into a chair, looking far more tired than his cohort. 

“Fair enough, leaves more for me anyway.” Sam allowed, breaking off a chunk and tossing it into his mouth. 

“I have a question, and I need you to not judge me for it.” Darcy told him after a moment. 

“Shoot.” Sam said around another bite of muffin.

“Is Peggy Carter Steve’s soulmate?” She asked, eyes wide and worried. 

“Really, Darce?” And now Sam’s shoulders were slumping and Darcy dropped her head into her hands for a moment. 

“Look, I said don’t judge me. I’m not some groupie.” She looked up at him, and something in her face (or the fact that they were friends) had Sam taking a breath and sent his mind down a different line of questioning. 

“No. Peggy isn’t Steve’s soulmate.” He told her. She worried at her lower lip, eyes staring at nothing as her thoughts raced. 

“Right. Thanks, Sam.” She stood and Sam caught her wrist, giving her an understanding, if slightly worried, smile. 

“Steve is just a man.” He told her, his tone reassuring. 

“I’m pretty sure he isn’t.” She disagreed, walking away to think about it some more. 

It was crazy! She was … she was Darcy Marie Lewis, scientist wrangler, social media guru, self appointed PR manager and social media exec for Jane and Thor, and excellent baker. Steven Grant Rogers was … well there was a reason history books had whole chapters devoted to him. He was amazing. He was amazing before the serum, according to reports, and afterward it was like all those amazing things became enhanced. 

She went to her rooms and tried to distract herself. When that didn’t work she made lists of all the reasons this was crazy and not at all possible. Hours passed, and soon she was glancing over at the clock and it was reading four am. She had been agonizing over this for seven hours. 

“Friday, where is Captain Rogers?” Darcy asked, making a decision. 

“His quarters, Ms. Lewis.” The AI responded. Darcy knew where is room was (next door to Sam) and grabbed a sweater, pulling it on as she left her room in her leggings and oversized Hulk t-shirt, feet bare and toes neon pink. She didn’t want to talk herself out of this. 

She stopped in front of his door, pounding on it with the side of her fist until the door slid open with a concerned looking Steve Rogers standing in front of her. She opened her mouth but no sounds came out. 

“Darcy Lewis, right?” She nodded and opened her mouth to try again, but it was like her chest was seizing up and she couldn’t breathe, her eyes wide as she stared at him trying to say something, anything. 

“Are you alright?” He asked, starting to look more concerned as he took a step toward her. 

“I’m pretty sure I’m losing my mind, actually.” She informed him, swallowing past the lump in her throat and watching him nervously. His eyes widened and his head jerked back in surprise. “Or maybe I’m not.” She offered with a hopeless smile. 

“Hi.” He said a moment later, sounding helpless enough that she had to laugh. 

“I know.” She agreed, sighing with relief. She wasn’t crazy! Of course she was soulmates with Steve Rogers, so maybe that was debatable. 

“Do you want to come in?” He took a step back and opened the door all the way. 

“Do you have coffee?” She asked, stepping inside and looking around curiously. 

“I’ll make us some.” He told her immediately. 

“You’ll do.” She assured him as she closed the door quietly behind her and followed him to the kitchen.


	43. Who Are You, Really? by Mikky Ekko

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check us out on Tumblr: msdamia or tiziano12. We're currently taking song requests & ideas! :D

Her eyes traced from the man to the edge of the building and then back to the man. 

“Come to me, Ms. Lewis.” His hand was held out, his voice calm, and she felt everything stop for a moment. She had a perfect moment of clarity and the last few days flashed before her eyes. Meeting her soulmate, having him hold that gun to her head with no emotion at all in his eyes. Watching the news as SHIELD fell apart and watching as the man who was her soulmate fought Steve and Natasha on the bridge. 

She shouldn’t have even been there, but she was. She was finishing a real internship for her actual-facts degree. She was meeting with Pierce … but he wasn’t a good man. Not really. It was in his house that she’d met _him_ ( _”Holy fuck you’re James Barnes!”_ ) and everything had fallen apart. She knew his face. She’d gone to the exhibit with Steve and commented on his handsome mug, just to tease the poor Captain into telling her stories and remembering the good old days when he’d been a pint sized punk and it was Bucky who’d been larger than life. 

Pierce, a man she’d admired, had stilled her soulmate’s ( _”That is not my name.”_ ) trigger finger with a single word and a slight smile. Then he’d decided he would keep Darcy close. She would be _interesting_ to experiment with later. His cold eyes had raked over her so clinically she wanted to shake, but she didn’t. She couldn’t move at all in that moment.

Hydra. All of this was because the Nazis hadn’t yet given up. But why would they? They had a mission, a belief system which didn’t end simply because they’d lost the war. Even if the rest of the world condemned them for it. They had spread and dipped their evil tentacles into everything she cared about. Freedom. Politics. Her Soulmate. Her life. 

And then all hell had broken loose and it was Darcy being forcibly escorted about, following Pierce about to “keep her safe” since she knew the Avengers and Natasha and Steve had gone AWOL. Couldn’t be too careful. Easier to keep her close and maybe use her as leverage. So for two and a half days she’d been dragged about, seen her soulmate without any life in his eyes (was he alive?) and listened as everything she thought she believed in imploded. 

Until she’d gotten free, tried to run. She had gone up instead of down, the sound of heavy boots below her deciding the direction. She’d run and come out on the roof and watched as the helicarriers fell into the water below, crashing and booming and seeming to make the very Earth shake. He’d been behind her, she hadn’t even gotten his name. It didn’t matter, he was just a jack booted thug who was supposed to keep her for Pierce. 

“Come to me, Ms. Lewis. Don’t make this harder on yourself.” His voice was calm as he held out his hand and her gaze went from his hand to the edge of the roof and then back. She stepped toward the edge of the roof, now perfectly in the moment. He followed. She climbed onto the edge of the roof and shook her head. The only thing behind her now was the river.

“Lewis, I need you to come to me.” He was using the calm voice again and she felt her lower lip tremble as she slowly shook her head. Her soulmate was a man out of time who had been turned into a weapon. Fury was dead. Coulson was dead. Who knew what Pierce planned to do to her. At this moment in time, this clear, calm moment, she had two options; Death, or imprisonment. 

Darcy didn’t even look over her shoulder as she took a step backwards and her arms opened wide, her hair streamed past her face and her eyes closed. She wouldn’t let Pierce turn her into whatever Hydra had done to Bucky Barnes. 

The Soldier saw the woman, recognized her, had noted Pierce had not wanted her killed, and swam through the water to where she had fallen. He pulled her out alongside the other one who had known a name he did not recognize. They had used the same name for him. The woman wasn’t breathing. CPR was a simple matter and soon she was coughing up water and he rolled her to her side before standing and walking away from the pair of them. 

He needed to find out why they thought he was this person. He needed to find out who he was.


	44. Love and War by the RockAteers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Check us out on Tumblr, Tiziano12 and MsDamia - I (MsDamia) am fairly new and still attempting to understand the magic land, but I am taking requests!

“Why do you keep fighting?” It was a simple question. Straightforward and the kind one should expect from Darcy Lewis. 

“What else is there for me to do?” His lips quirked up at the corner as he looked out at the sky above the facility that was now the home of the Avengers. 

“Almost anything, and I do mean that literally.” She informed him, eyebrows arched as she gave him an arch look. 

“I was made to fight, Darce, to win a war we haven’t won yet.” He informed her, sighing softly. She tucked herself under his arm, squishing into his personal space without a care for his feelings on the matter. 

“Erskine must of been a hell of a smart man.” She informed him, wrapping her hand around his left bicep where her words _”I would ride you into the sunset given half a chance.”_ were hidden from view by his shirt. The words were almost always covered and delighted and horrified the woman equally. She’d had a bit too much to drink the night they’d met, having been celebrating with Thor and Jane and Erik. 

“He was.” Steve agreed easily. Everyone held him at arm’s length, they had ever since he’d woken up in the wrong time after he’d been ready to go down with that goddamned ship. He was an icon. A hero. A legend. Legend’s didn’t tend to live up to their hype. He was just a person. 

Darcy saw him as a person. He wondered more than once in the six months they’d known each other, if she even realized why all of them seemed to be drawn to her presence. She treated them like equals, even when she was not as smart or strong or dangerous as some of them. She was a breath of fresh air and she’d made him realize how hard it had been for him to breathe since waking up. Then she was there, her presence soothing him in ways he never realized he needed. 

“He probably knew you’d burn the world down around you before you let those other guys win.” She continued, her voice soft and hard all at once. He looked down at to find her staring up at him. He didn’t say anything, so she continued. “But burning the world would leave you pretty lonely in the end.” 

“And here I thought you liked fire.” He teased, his lips tipping up some more. She didn’t smile back.

“I have this horrible feeling you are going to leave here and you won’t really come back to me, Steve. The world isn’t what it was and you have this beautiful sense of honor and right and wrong.” She turned around to face him, her hands running up his chest to grip his shoulders desperately. “The world doesn’t work like that, and you’re going to get lost in all these shades of grey, trying to live up to the ideal of a man who’s been dead for 70 years.” She searched his face, trying to see if he actually understood what she was saying. If he actually heard her. 

“I fight because it’s all I know. It’s all I’ve ever known. Even when I was that pint-sized punk in Brooklyn, the kid no one thought would live to make thirty, I fought. I don’t like bullies. I know what’s right and I know what’s wrong and I can’t stand by and let bad things happen if there is a chance I could stop it.” He was looking down at her seriously, his hand rubbing her right arm over the words “That’s kind of you, ma’am” which seemed to make her even more embarrassed when someone brought up the story of how they met. 

“You fought because you knew one day you were going to die anyway.” She told him, her tone daring him to deny it. He didn’t. “Now you fight like you’re immortal. Like you don’t have anything to lose.” His arms tightened around her. “That wasn’t a threat. You can’t lose me, Steve. I’m just afraid I’m going to lose you.” 

“You won’t lose me, Darcy Lewis.” His mouth dropped to hers, the both of them desperately clawing at each other’s clothes in the moment, the most honest conversation they had ever had, the scariest conversation. His hands pulled her shirt over her head, but their lips and tongues were dueling as soon as the fabric was clear. His shirt was ripped just enough that she finished ripping it in her haste to get it off. 

The came together in a frantic moment of pounding hearts under the sky, neither of them caring if the cameras caught them, just needing to be together. Her leg hitched up over his hip as she was pressed into the concrete roof. They came together, keening each other’s name. Steve held her close to his chest, eyes closed. Darcy’s eyes were open, though. She wanted to remember this moment, because despite his words, she still had the feeling that one day soon he would leave her. She’d be left for a cause he didn’t even fully believe in, all because he thought he owed the ghost of a man who hadn’t even understood the perfection he’d helped enhance.


	45. Renegade by X Ambassadors

The crack echoed through the ship and people stared, wide eyed, at the young woman slowly dropping her hand to her side before turning and walking away from Phillip Coulson, Director of SHIELD. He didn’t follow her, just watched her leave the hangar. She didn’t turn around, she’d known he wasn’t going to follow her. 

“Take me home.” She demanded, getting into the front seat of the SUV. Her blue eyes were dry, her face was blank, and the team could find their own way back to the compound. 

Back in the base Skye was looking at Phil with wide eyes and a hand on her weapon as she continued to glance at the other team that had come in. “What was that all about?” She asked, unsure now if she could actually trust the people Phil had brought in to help them. 

“Just a bit of unfinished business.” Phil told her with a quick smile. The vivid red mark on his left cheek looked like it stung, but he was pretending it wasn’t there. 

“To be unfinished you have to admit there was a start.” The relaxed posture of the archer standing beside Captain America was matched by his tone of voice, but opposite of the hard look in his eyes. Captain America was giving him a disappointed face. 

“The safety of the world will always come first.” Coulson informed them, glancing toward the door for a moment before walking toward the area they had set up as the command center. 

“The one person who knew definitively you weren’t dead, and you couldn’t even call once?” Clint replied once, an eyebrow cocked knowingly as he strode forward. 

“Whoa, wait a second.” Skye threw both hands in the air and turned to stare at Phil with wide, shocked eyes. “That was your _soulmate_?” 

“So it appears.” He agreed. Skye cocked an eyebrow, folding her arms over her stomach. 

“You deserved that.” It wasn’t a question and Phil didn’t respond.


	46. Dear Future Husband by Meghan Trainor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of SherShock for the fans :)

“The trick here is to know that you’re in the wrong.” The curvy brunette who had just taken the seat beside him made Sherlock raise an eyebrow. North American by the accent, American from the way she stepped right into the middle of business which was none of hers. Intriguing because she’d said the words written in a messy sort scrawl across his shoulder blades which had annoyed him when he caught it in the mirror. Not only was her penmanship lacking, but it wasn’t even in a nice, even line. Instead the words were spread at an awkward angle that made his eyes narrow. His brother liked to insist it was because opposites attracted. 

“I’m quite certain I’m not.” He replied evenly, tilting his head just a little bit as he watched her. A smile broke across her face, bright and amused. She nodded once as she brought her beer to her mouth. She was quite pretty, he’d give her that. He hadn’t formed much of an opinion besides his dislike of her longhand. He was a precise person. She, well, she was wearing a knit hat with a lightning bolt pinned to the side and a shirt that read Team Science! across her generous cleavage and red lipstick. Her fingernails were painted different colors, but went from darkest to lightest left to right and he found that to be intriguing. 

“The way she slapped you I’m pretty sure she doesn’t care. She just wants to hear you apologize.” The woman insisted, leaning back and getting comfortable in the seat. He should be aggravated by the assumption he would welcome her, but instead he is vaguely amused. 

“What she wants is irrelevant, given the topic at hand.” He informed her, taking in her face and the way her mouth expressed her emotions. He wondered if she understood how easily he was reading her. 

“Shoving her over for a woman you haven’t even officially met, yet. Daring.” She took another sip, her eyes glittering with amusement. 

“Logical,” he countered. “You and I were paired together for a reason, or so I assume, most of the research I’ve read supports the theory. She was a client who wanted to be something more and I never had any intention of encouraging her.” He shrugged with one shoulder, it was a slow, graceful movement he’d been told by a great many people seemed incredibly condescending. It made the woman in front of him laugh. 

“Darcy Lewis,” she held out a hand and after a quick glance he took it in his own and gave a firm handshake. 

“Sherlock Holmes.” He saw the instant recognition lit her eyes. 

“Yes, I saw the articles.” She nodded. “It explains a few things.” She was still smiling, still happy, so whatever it explained wasn’t bad. He didn’t think was bad. Perhaps not as easy to read as he’d assumed. 

“And you are Dr. Foster’s assistant,” he was using deductive reasoning here, the woman’s official title had never been printed in the articles he’d read after the attack on London by Dark Elves. John had been giddy about that for months, the idea of magic. It made Sherlock’s lip twitch in annoyance. 

“Lab manager, but close enough.” She wasn’t bothered by use of the incorrect title. She didn’t seem bothered by most things, actually, now that he was remembering the news footage which had surrounded herself, Dr. Foster, Dr. Selvig, Mr. Boothby, and Thor. She’d shrugged off an attack from aliens, another from terrorists, and a sudden heart attack which had struck a reporter in the front row of a press conference. Through all of it she’d been calm and collected, smiling and witty. She was interesting. 

He didn’t find people interesting. This made the situation even more intriguing. 

“You’re watching me like Jane looks at quantum physics.” A conundrum she was determined to figure out, Darcy wasn’t sure if it was flattering or not, but she’d take it. It was better than other reactions she’d witnessed. Besides, maybe it was her work with Jane which had made them perfect for each other. From what she remembered (and she remembered everything she read, it was a talent Jane was happy to exploit and annoyed SHIELD to no end) he wasn’t the easiest person to deal with. 

He was a good guy, or at the very least not a bad guy, and that was what really mattered at the end of the day. Besides, she could introduce him to an Alien who’d been worshipped as a god back in the day. Also he was local so he would hopefully know more takeout places. She and Jane were both deplorable at cooking, which is how they’d managed to live off poptarts for so many months. 

“You’re looking at me like John looks at a particularly fine cut of steak.” He retorted, voice dry as the desert. Her smile morphed to a smirk. 

“I’m picturing you naked.” She informed him, which hadn’t been true a moment ago, but was now very true. He raised a single eyebrow, looking unimpressed and she shrugged. “Whatever, I’ll break you one day. It’ll be enjoyable.” She waggled her eyebrows and finished off her beer before standing up. 

“I’m not that easy, Ms. Lewis.” He informed her, a bit of a smile curving his lips as he looked up at her. 

“That’s half the fun, Mr. Holmes.” She advised him, turning and walking out of the small pub without a backwards glance. She hadn’t left her phone number or any other method of contacting her, but if she had this wouldn’t be nearly as interesting. His lips turned up a bit more and he dropped a few bills on the table before standing and pulling his coat on, deciding he wouldn’t tell John about tonight. He’d let his friend catch up in his own time, for now there was a game afoot and he planned to enjoy himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! You can find us over on Tumblr (where I'm still figuring shit out) and give song suggestions and chapter requests! [MsDamia](http://msdamia.tumblr.com/) and [Tiziano](http://tiziano12.tumblr.com/)


	47. Trumpets - Jason Derulo

“This view is worth selling my soul.” Darcy announced, eyes not on the windows, but the man who had lifted his shirt to wipe sweat off his brow, abdominal muscles etched clearly against his skin. 

“I thought you said the new Starkpad was worth selling your soul,” Jane pointed out, giving the man in question a grin as he dropped his shirt and cleared his throat in an embarrassed manner. 

“Yeah, that too, but this was better.” Darcy informed her before walking up and holding out her hand to the man she had so obviously embarrassed. 

“Darcy Lewis, poli-sci major turned social media consultant.” She smiled brightly. 

“She has no shame.” Jane informed him. “I’m Dr. Jane Foster, astrophysicist.” 

“It’s a pleasure, Miss Lewis.” He took her hand and shook it, making Darcy’s eyebrows raise. 

“Well, then, double the pleasure double the fun.” She turned to Jane and pointed a circling finger at the man beside her. “Steve Rogers is my soulmate, Janey-poo. We both get Avengers.” 

“What?” He asked, eyebrows creasing as his ears turned a little more red. She patted him on the arm consolingly. 

“Jane is in Disney-princess love with Thor and he’s smitten with her as well. It’s a whole thing.” She grinned up at him and he smiled back, nervous and not entirely happy with the current situation. 

“Careful, she bites.” Jane mentioned, grinning unrepentantly as the man blinked his big blue eyes at her nervously and then looked back at Darcy, who was grinning like a shark. 

“Oh trust me, you’ll enjoy it.” The short, curvy woman assured him. 

“I suddenly feel like I should be calling in backup.” He admitted clearing his throat nervously. 

“I mean, if that’s what you’re into I’m game,” Darcy shrugged, fine with just rolling with anything. Also trolling the man. He narrowed his eyes a bit, recognizing the overly blase tone of voice for exactly what it was. 

“I’m actually into crossword puzzles, pinochle, and early bird specials. Just ask Tony.” He told her with a winning smile and innocent eyes. Darcy’s face morphed into an expression of extreme delight as she laughed out loud. 

“Oh, I like you already. Come put your muscles to work helping lift heavy stuff while I openly ogle.” She looped her arm through his and dragged him away, ignoring the sweat and the jogging shorts and the fact that he’d obviously been in the middle of a workout. Jane grinned as she watched the two of them walk away, then she did the smart thing and pulled out her cell phone so she could take pictures of the two of them. Darcy would definitely want a picture of the man’s ass for her instagram.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, Ms D here and I wanted to say and that Tiz is kicking my ass to make me finish writing stuff (I have so many half finished chapters...) while I train for the Spartan Season. I was in SoCal (Temecula!) a few weeks back for the first two US races of the season and I'll be all over the west coast and Hawaii this year. I am also drawing up all kinds of designs to (hopefully!) get into the HerUniverse fashion show so we will see how all of that goes. I have not forgotten you, and Tiz is making sure you all know I love you by making me write!! LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
>  
> 
> And don't forget to check out our Tumblrs! We're still open for song suggestions! [MsDamia](http://msdamia.tumblr.com/) and [Tiziano](http://tiziano12.tumblr.com/) \- Love ya, the ass kicker!


	48. Maybe, Maybe by Cam Nacson

Darcy stood with her shoulders back and her head tipped just a bit to the side as she watched the man in front of her. She looked so cheerful, just as she always did. He wondered, sometimes, if she was so unaffected by the danger constantly surrounding her. Then she would do something, make some offhand comment that had him turning to watch her more closely. 

She was brash and bold and bright, her laughter loud and echoing in the often too- tense air of the facility. He had waited for that sparkle to diminish, for the laughter to quiet, but it hadn’t happened. She would see him and she would smile, big and bright with her red, red lips, and ask him how he was. Every time. 

Like he hadn’t hurt her during their first meeting. Like he hadn’t held a gun to her head and his arm around her neck, having marked her as the weakest link. Like the words stamped down her back didn’t say _“You **will** get me inside.”_ and they hadn’t been said with the cold intention of killing her should she have denied him. 

She was different than anyone he could remember, than anyone others knew. He wasn’t alone in his thinking, there was a reason the others were fond and often a touch over protective of her. The words circling his bicep, _”A hello wouldn’t be remiss before you start manhandling me.”_ because of course she hadn’t bothered to be afraid before she’d moved on to being annoyed. 

“That good, huh?” Her lips twisted into an amused grimace as she bounced forward another step and rubbed a hand up his arm. 

It was soothing and that concerned Bucky. Instead of responding he frowned down at her hand contemplatively. Like that small action held the secrets of the universe. Her hand drifted down to his elbow and his eyes shot to hers, half afraid she was pulling away. Her eyes were knowing and her fingers traced a line from his elbow to his fingers, where she tangled hers with his. 

Her hand was so small. 

“Alright, big guy, time to go make cookies.” She was hauling him behind her. He didn’t fight, just followed in her wake as she bustled them both into the kitchen and dropped his hand in order to open cupboards. 

“Cookies?” He watched as she pulled out ingredients and mixing bowls. 

“Yep. We’ll stuff ourselves silly on them while watching Archer.” She informed him. He blinked twice at her and she glanced over her shoulder. “Don’t worry, it won’t kill you. Also you can call Tony Pam and watch his face turn fun colors.” She assured him with another bright smile.


	49. The One That Got Away - Katy Perry

Her smile was pinched and her eyes were distant, hands clasped tightly as she leaned against the railing. The wind was blowing in her hair, sending stray curls flying as he stared, wondering how he was supposed to fix any of this. 

“I love you.” The words were desperate and he hadn’t really expected them to tear out of his throat like that. Her smile disappeared and she bowed her head for a moment. He knew she’d heard him. Knew that she had come to say goodbye, not to have him beg her to stay. She was bowing out, letting him figure everything out on his own without her presence interfering or whatever was going on in that overly active mind of hers. 

“You love him, too.” She reminded him, her voice soft and surprisingly free of anger. She had every right to be angry. They were building a life together, Darcy and Steve. She hadn’t signed on for Bucky to show up and change their equation. 

“But I’m not _in love_ with him.” He was moving forward, his fingers stained with graphite and rubbing marks onto her skin as he turned her toward him. He’d been drawing in Bucky’s room when he got the call to come to their rooms. Darcy’s things were in suitcases, she was on the balcony, and she was ready to say goodbye, because she thought that was what he needed. Maybe she thought that was what he wanted. 

“Are you sure?” There were tears in her eyes and Steve flinched, horrified he’d put those kinds of thoughts in her head. She’d been so supportive of him and Buck and everything they were working on to get the man back to something resembling a human, rather than a monster of a weapon. 

“There’s a reason your words are on me and not his, not Peggy’s.” He told her, trying to figure out if this was the time to back down or the time to kiss her and make her understand how much he needed her. Would kissing her make her think that he was just trying to distract her? He was searching her face, looking for some kind of direction. Man, Bucky was right, he was lousy with the dames. 

“Soulmates mean we belong together, it doesn’t mean we are going to fall in love and have the romance of the century. Look at Natasha and Clint. Epic bromance, nothing will ever get between them, but Clint is in love with Laura and always will be.” She reminded him, blinking to keep the tears at bay and she gently extricated herself from his grasp. Steve’s fingers arced into claws, tense and unsure what he was supposed to do with his hands now. 

“Darcy, please.” It was a plea as she turned to go back inside and walk away from him. She paused, one hand one the door, and waited for him to continue. “Bucky is my best friend. I love him, I will always love him. Just like I am always going to love Sam and Natasha.” 

“I’ve seen you looking at him.” She whispered, her voice harsh as she let her forehead fall against the glass and she shut her eyes tight. He could see the agony in her expression from the reflection and he was stepping forward, hands hovering millimeters above her skin. 

“I thought I lost him, and once upon a time in another life I was desperately in love with him. Then I was given the serum and he wasn’t the guy that was always saving me and taking care of me. I met Peggy. I was trying to figure out who I loved more when the war got in the way. I woke up completely lost and I was sure Peggy was the one that got away and Buck was dead.” He let his hands fall to her skin, sliding them down her arms to lace his fingers through hers. He was wrapping himself around her, pulling her into his chest and trying to focus on that sensation and nothing else. Just her. 

“Steve, I need you to be sure.” He could feel her shudder, but she didn’t pull away. 

“Darcy, I was sure from the first moment we met when you told me I had the saddest eyes you’d ever seen and then handed me a daisy, because they are your favorite flower and they make you smile.” His voice was soft, his lips brushing against her ear. She started sobbing and pulled, so he let her go, knowing he was strong enough to hold her if he wanted to, but not wanting to force anything on her. 

“You are such an idiot!” She cried, spinning around and slamming a fist into his chest as she sobbed and leaned against him. His arms came up to hover around her for a moment before she looked up at him and made a noise of disgust through her tears. “Hug me, you giant moron.” She sniffed, wrapping her arms around his middle. 

“So, I’ve been doing something wrong.” He commented some time later. He was sitting on the ground now, Darcy sprawled across his lap as he stroked a hand down her hair and back, his other arm holding her close to his chest. 

“You really are the absolute worst when it comes to women.” Darcy informed him with a sniff, rubbing tear tracks off her cheeks. 

“Yeah, Bucky made a comment about that last week. I thought it was him teasing me like old times, but maybe it wasn’t.” He sighed, holding her a bit tighter. 

“I’m not usually the jealous type, Steve, but you’ve been all about Bucky for months now. I figured it would wear off a bit, and I can accept an epic bromance, but I can’t be the other woman. Person. However that would work. I don’t share well, when it comes to the people I’m in a relationship with.” She informed him, fingers digging sharply into his uniform for a moment.

“You know, half of what I do with Bucky is just sit. Lately all I’ve been drawing, and all I’ve been drawing is you. You know they only keep me because I’m good at punching things. You have to explain stuff to me, sweetheart.” He told her, rocking slightly as he imagined what could have happened if she had walked out without listening to him. He didn’t know how he could have fixed it. He still wasn’t sure he _had_ fixed things yet. He still didn’t know how he’d managed to fuck it all up. 

“First off, you’d better putting a fucking ring on it, mister, or I’m gonna keep freaking out.” She informed him, leaning back to glare at his stupidly symmetrical face. Steve blinked down at her once, twice and then a smile spread slowly across his face. 

“Did you just propose to me?” He asked, delighted. 

“No, I just told you to propose to me. Maybe you just need to work on your listening skills?” Darcy offered sniffing again and blinking a bit. She was trying to pretend like she wasn’t super blotchy and her nose and eyes weren’t red. She wasn’t one of those unicorn people who looked pretty when they cried. 

“Gee, Darce, it sounded like you told me to put a ring on it. Pretty sure that was a Queen Bey proposal.” He shrugged a bit and she tried not to laugh, pinching her mouth together and slapping him on his chest. 

“It was a demand for a proper proposal. One where you already have a ring, size 6.5, that isn’t a diamond, but is sparkly and or shiny, and isn’t boring. Preferably over some kind of meal, but not with the stone _in_ the meal because that is tacky as hell.” Darcy continued to detail while Steve laughed out loud, laughing harder when she smacked him again and demanded he remember her increasingly detailed demands.


	50. So Far Away by Mary Lambert

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They weren't good for each other.

James was breathing hard like he’d run across the country instead of just across the tarmac. She raised her eyebrows questioningly as she carefully stepped off the ramp and onto the landing pad, Jane coming out behind her speaking a thousand words a minute to Clint, who had come to pick them up. He’d taken a fancy to astrophysics after spending so much time with Selvig, and Jane was happy to talk about her favorite subject.

“What’s the matter?” Darcy asked, eyes concerned as she stepped toward him. His entire body relaxed as he released a deep breath and smiled at her. 

“Not a thing.” He promised her. She tilted her head to the side, watching him with a bemused expression as he looped an arm over her shoulders and steered her toward the buildings. 

They weren’t the strongest pairing in the world, through no fault of either of them. Darcy didn’t trust people, didn’t like to give herself to others, because she knew with every fiber of her being they would leave her. Just like her parents and every foster family she’d ever had. James didn’t trust himself not to hurt her, emotionally or physically, and was afraid of crushing her seemingly relentless spirit. 

They got along, sure. The two of them with the sarcastic tongues honed to sharp edges and the bright and shiny smiles that often didn’t reach their eyes. Sometimes Jane wondered if the two of them were too alike, and yet they were still complete opposites. Darcy with her need to save everyone at the cost of herself and James with his willingness to destroy everything to save himself. Perhaps it was that Darcy’s darkness came from her formative years and James was hurt as an adult, after knowing people who loved him unconditionally. 

Darcy gave hope and love to anyone who came close. She handed out affection without reserve, but closed up when you offered it back. It had taken months with Jane for her to trust the other woman, and even now, years and multiple alien incursions later, she didn’t always share her fears and sometimes worried the woman would leave her. Thankfully she had Thor, though, and Thor was someone she trusted to always be on her side, even if he wasn’t at her side. His being an Asgardian had a lot to do with that. 

James trusted everyone, it seemed. He had trusted Darcy since the first day, he had thought her funny and beautiful and the words “Well aren’t you just as pretty as a picture?” circling his right wrist had made him choke on the coffee she’d just handed to him. It had taken him a few minutes to stop choking and get sounds out of his mouth while she stood there smiling like she didn’t have anything better to do with her time. He’d finally managed a quick “Pretty sure that’s supposed to be my line,” circled her own wrist and she’d whisked him away from Steve and over to the labs where she’d showed him off to Jane Foster. 

Jane Foster’s brain was more frightening than anyone he had ever met, both Stark’s included. She saw magic and she thought “I bet I can explain that with science” and proceeded to do just that. She was ripping gateways through the stars and she had zero fear of the soldiers who towered over her. It wasn’t just that she was mated to Thor, though the towering God of Thunder didn’t hurt, it was just that she was completely sure even if she didn’t win the first time, she would take you down eventually, and when she did she’d make sure there wasn’t any evidence. She was like a more bloodthirsty version of Steve pre-serum and giving up his life for the greater good of the world. 

James and Darcy clicked instantly. Suddenly joined at the hip, where you saw one you would see another soon after. She was introducing him to TV and movies and games and books. Anything she thought of that he needed to do _right this second_ often roping in whoever else happened to be close. Soon he knew random pop culture references that even Tony sometimes didn’t get right away. 

There was baking and living room dance parties in which Darcy was bouncing around singing at the top of her lungs with Jane and Thor and James was laughing as he watched them. Later he would join them, his fingers tangled with Darcy’s as he laughed, a bright pink hair tie holding back the dark locks he didn’t want to cut off. 

They knew, felt on a visceral level, they were meant for one another. That part was easy. The trust, though, that was another problem. 

When one person doesn’t trust you because she thinks you are going to leave, and the other doesn’t trust himself so he leaves … things get dark. It was easy to be friends. Even to be best friends. Shared cuddle time on the couch, spending all their time in one another’s rooms, tangled together on couches and beds watching movies and having conversations about everything and anything. It was harder to be more, even when both people wanted it on a visceral level. 

It led to fights, to one of them screaming and crying while the other punched the shower wall as the water washed away his tears as soon as they fell. It led to Darcy leaving for a research project with Jane for six weeks and not even saying goodbye. 

James walked Darcy to her suite and followed her into her bedroom, crowding into her space to wrap his arms around her shoulders as she tried to unpack. She chuckled after a moment, turning her head to stare at the side of his jaw. She didn’t feel mirth, she was afraid, but Darcy Lewis knew better than to show fear. 

“You are like a cat.” She informed him before licking his jaw and making him jerk away with wide, surprised eyes. She pulled away from him to put her clothes in her drawers before pausing and turning back to her bed. “Were you sleeping in here?” She asked, looking at the indent on the pillow and the neat blankets. She never made her bed. Ever. 

James cleared his throat twice before turning to run his fingers over a table, not saying a word and refusing to look at her. Darcy walked around the bed to stand in front of him, side stepping to stay in his line of site. 

“Why were you sleeping in my rooms?” She wasn’t angry. She didn’t sound angry, anyhow, so James looked into her big blue eyes. He wasn’t so good with words anymore, not when he really needed to say them. It was like his jaw wouldn’t work. Darcy raised an hand to his jaw and grinned, showing off the gap between her front teeth and making her eyes glitter 

“I missed you, too.” She promised patting him on the cheek and then turning away to finish unpacking. She got one step away before his hand was grabbing hers and tugging her back to him, she landed hard against his chest and his mouth was on hers. It wasn’t sweet like their few other kisses had been. This was hard and desperate and demanding. Darcy froze for a moment and James stopped, pulling his head back. 

“I’m sorry, I though-” She cut him off by grabbing his face and pulling him back down to her. 

“Do _not_ apologize for that.” She told him, completely serious, when they broke apart a few minutes later, both of them breathing hard. 

“I’m a better person when I have you here with me.” He finally told her. “I can get through anything when I see your face. You make me …” He trailed off, not sure what the right words were and Darcy surged forward, pressing her lips to his. 

“I’ve got you,” She promised, dropping back to her feet and then walking back to her bags to keep unpacking. “I’ve also got unpacking to do.” 

“Want to watch a movie after?” He asked, grinning like an idiot. 

“Sure, pull up something.” She told him, tossing clothing in the laundry hamper and clean clothes in the dresser while he kicked off his shoes and socks and hopped up on his side of the bed, metal arm always on the outside because he slept on his back. They weren’t perfect. They would never be perfect, but when he kissed her it was like the world disappeared and it was just the two of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Leave song suggestions or you can find us over on Tumblr and give song suggestions and chapter requests! [MsDamia](http://msdamia.tumblr.com/) and [Tiziano](http://tiziano12.tumblr.com/)


	51. Piece by Piece by Kelly Clarkson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluffy and sweet like cotton candy

Darcy shook her head as she stared at her reflection in the mirror, trying to understand how she’d gotten to where she was now. From that dark childhood moment, the one where she’d had to wear black and watch a box containing what was left of her mother get lowered into the ground. Not even a year later she watched her father’s back as he slowly faded from view, leaving her sobbing and screaming as she pounded on the window while the social worker tried to convince her to calm down. 

Her parents had been soulmates and her father had been worthless without her mother. Her mother’s brother had come for her, taken her home with him. She spent years waiting for him to leave her behind, to abandon her. He met his soulmate, but even then he didn’t leave her. She was his Darcy-Girl. He wasn’t mad when she ran away to her father at fifteen, trying to remind that man what a good father he’d once been, but he had no interest in her. She looked like her mother, but she wasn’t her mother. Wasn’t good enough to be her mother. She was worthless. 

She went home with a broken heart to the men who loved her unconditionally. 

Three years later Darcy Lewis was accepted to Culver University on a full scholarship, and that was when adventure started. Darcy was a girl who learned to roll with the punches, who knew that she had faced the worst and could handle whatever else came. She was perfect for Jane, who needed someone focused and unflappable. They bonded over midnight margaritas and stories of never being first in their father's eyes, but always being first in the eyes of the man who put them back together. 

She dealt with the appearance of a God. She dealt with a death robot. She dealt with more mythological figures. She dealt with everything they threw at her and Jane, she did it without freaking out and without abandoning the people she’d come to love. She watched aliens come from the sky, soothed Jane through a broken heart, watched angry space elves rip apart London. 

She and Jane had gone to New York to work in the Avenger’s building and she’d met her own Soulmate. It was scary and wonderful and awful. Soulmates were powerful things, after all. And hers, well, he was so much more than anything she had ever expected from _”I am so sorry, are you alright?”_

Steve Rogers running around a corner and knocking her on her ass had never once played into any fantasy she’d ever had regarding her possible soulmate. Nor had the giant bruise on her hip, to be honest. Of course, his horror as she’d responded with _”I think your abs of steel may have given me a concussion”_ had made up for it a bit. He’d tried to drag her to medical, but she was a stubborn creature on the best of days. 

What followed was months of him being away on missions to find his long lost best friend. He called, texted, or emailed at least once a day without fail. Sometimes that worried her a bit, because he was in the middle of something hairy, but he insisted. He worried her with the recklessness, but he was a good person. The best person. 

They filled two years with new memories and good moments, both by themselves, with the team, and with her family. Her Uncle and his husband, a school teacher and accountant, loved Steve. How could they not? Baking cake, staying up to marathon all of Harry Potter only to fall asleep and wake up to Steve demanding to know why they had to kill Hedwig, because of course that was the one that upset him the most. 

Steve was always with her, even if it wasn’t physically. He encouraged her to make use of her degree and she transferred from Lab Manager to Public Relations, eventually taking over Social Media and working on public images. They couldn’t keep their relationship quiet, someone always found out. The storm was dealt with, most of the hate mail filtered out, the well wishers thanked, and Darcy’s public profiles changed. She was no longer just a PR minion, she was someone of note and a public persona. 

None of it compared to this moment. Staring into her own eyes in the mirror as she tried to figure out what this moment would mean for her future. Her eyes dropped to the slender stick sitting on the edge of the sink. Two pink lines. There was a knock on the door. 

“Darce, sweetheart, you okay? You’ve been in there awhile.” Steve was using his “I’m worried but trying not to be” voice. She turned, wishing she’d gotten dressed. How to break this news while wearing one of his gym shirts and no pants. Her hair wild about her. She opened the door, biting her lip. 

“You apparently have super sperm.” She told him, holding up the little stick as she watched him with wide eyes. Steve’s eyes went huge and then he was grabbing her, tugging her into his chest and twirling about as he laughed and she had to throw her arms around his neck to hold on, laughing along with him. 

“We’re having a baby?” He asked, not bothering to put her down as his eyes glittered and his smile went bigger than she knew it could. 

“I mean, I’m pretty sure? We should probably have Helen give me a proper test,” Darcy told him with a helpless shrug. They hadn’t talked about children or marriage or anything like that. They’d only been living together for five months, she hadn’t bothered thinking further than maybe taking a nice vacation together at some point once he’d found Bucky. 

“Let’s go,” He turned, walking toward the door and Darcy locked her legs around his hips. 

“Slow your roll, soldier.” Darcy demanded and Steve paused, blinking at her and then realizing he was still holding her up. He didn’t set her down, though. 

“Are we … not happy about this?” He asked, his smile dimming. Darcy leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on his lips. 

“We are happy. We are just also in shock because my pills are supposed to keep this from happening.” She reassured him. He pulled her tighter to give her a far less gentle kiss that led to the same activities that had put her in this position in the first place. 

A while later, as Darcy was getting dressed again and Steve was watching her with a satisfied smile on her face she sighed and smiled back. 

“Do you have any idea how amazing you are?” She asked. 

“Pretty sure that’s my line.” He retorted. 

“I love you.” She told him. He was off the bed in an instant, cuddling her close as he always seemed to do when he was feeling a rush of affection. Like he wanted to surround her with his body and soak her into his very pores. She wrapped her arms around his middle and pressed her face into his chest. 

“I love you, too.” He assured her, knowing she didn’t want words telling her how much like her father he wasn’t. Knowing he couldn’t tell her he would be a good father because neither of them knew that, but that he would try as hard as he could to show her he could be good enough for her. 

“Let’s go see Helen.” She told him, pulling back with a teary smile. He pressed another kiss to her forehead and tugged her hand toward the door. “You should probably put on clothes first.” 

“Right.” Steve dropped her hand and walked into the closet as Darcy laughed and decided this would be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To everyone going to see CA:CW this weekend, I hope you enjoy it. #teamyoucantmakemechooseaside


	52. Fade Into You by Sam Palladio and Clare Bowen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Absence can do a lot of things to a couple. Make the heart grow fonder. Make a woman break a few laws and sneak into a government facility. Those kinds of things.

Darcy knocked on the door in front of her, glancing down at the phone in her hand to see another text coming through reminding her to be safe, to use her words not her tazer, and to remember that coffee was not the only food group. She grinned a bit before the door swung open and it faded again. Her dark blue eyes traced over every line in his face as his own widened in surprise. 

 

She knew he’d been alive, of course. She’d watched her words fade and then darken once more. She hadn’t said anything, he was a spy and the world was ending. She figured he’d come find her when he was ready. It wasn’t like they were anything other than friends anyhow, right? Casual friends who bickered and grinned and were overly smug with one another. Who intrigued one another in ways no one else could possibly understand. She figured he was keeping tabs and she would just have to deal with it. 

 

She thought she’d spotted him after the whole Dark Elf thing in London, right before they’d figured out Ian was a SHIELD plant. She’d kissed an agent who wasn’t _her_ Agent. She wasn’t sure how she felt about it, confused, and so much more than she was able to disentangle, or even wanted to disentangle. Those feelings and thoughts were best set on fire and the ash shoved into a little corner to be ignored. 

 

But then Shield was Hydra and they were all running, fleeing. She and Jane were being moved again and again. Supposedly for their own safety, but no one would tell them anything real. So they went, but they were wary. Then suddenly Jane was off with Thor in Asgard and Steve was fighting Tony and Darcy didn’t know where she belonged anymore. She didn't know what she believed or even what she wanted to believe.

 

She shouldn’t even known where this facility was or how to get there, let alone how to get in, but Darcy was smarter and sneakier than most people were willing to give her credit for. Also she’d been given a lot of Asgardian tech to play with in the last few years so her understanding of certain systems was a bit more advanced than most humans could claim. So she’d figured out where Phil was and made her way to the only person she could think of who could make sense of the mess her world. 

 

“Darcy,” the word was half whispered, a promise from a complicated past and the hope of an even more complicated future. An alarm sounded and he blinked again, the expression on his face clearing to the collected mask he usually wore. The brunette glanced down at the phone in her hand. 

 

“Six minutes and forty-eight seconds. I’m not sure if I’m impressed with myself or disappointed in your agents.” She told him, looking up through her dark lashes, a playful grin playing at the corner of her lips. 

 

“You shouldn’t be here, Darcy.” He told her, hands gripping the door frame so tightly his knuckles were white, he was never fully composed when she was around him. 

 

“I can’t be anywhere right now, Phil.” She spread her hands and he took in the phone, the ripped jeans with her skinned knees, the backpack with it’s single fraying strap, the dark smudges under her eyes. 

 

“Where is Dr. Foster?” He asked, his own eyes snapping back to hers. Her eyes started to fill with tears, whether from frustration, exhaustion, or something else he wasn’t sure. 

 

“Asgard, with Thor.” Darcy blinked rapidly, looking up and trying to will away her stupid emotions as feet came running down the corridor. 

 

“Drop your weapon and put your hands in the air!” An authoritative voice called. Darcy dropped her phone to the floor, ignoring the bounce. It would be fine. It was a Tony creation, he’d tried to make it Thor-Proof after the Asgardian had accidentally broken her fourth phone trying to play candy crush. The blonde hadn’t quite figured out swiping.

 

“You were the only safe place I could think of.” She told him, a tear sliding down her cheek as two agents pulled her bag off and her hands behind her back. Phil was still white knuckled at his door, his mind racing as his eyes stayed locked on the woman in front of him. 

 

“AC?” A young woman with dark eyes looked from Darcy to Phil cautiously. 

 

“Let her go.” His voice cracked through the hall before he’d realized he was speaking, and then he was reaching forward and pull Darcy to his side. She fell into his chest, her face buried in his shoulder and her arms slipping around his waist as she tried to breathe and calm herself. 

 

“Clear the hall, we’ve got this.” The young woman continued, ignoring the confused looks of the other agents as she snapped at them and then glared until they did as she bid. 

 

“Darcy, where did you come from?” Phil asked, his left hand sweeping down her back to the hem of her shirt and lifting enough so he could see where his handwriting neatly spelled out “Miss Lewis, how did you get in here?” because obviously this was a theme between the two of them. It was very, very hard to mimic a soulmate mark and Darcy’s was seared into his brain. It had been since the moment he’d found her sitting on his desk flipping through her facebook feed and she’d informed him _”You have very distinctive handwriting, Phil.”_ Which was scrawled haphazardly across his heart, now split in two with a scar he didn’t like to look at. 

 

“My mom.” She flipped back immediately, her fingers digging into the shirt at his back as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. They hadn’t often been this intimate in public, neither of them being the type, but it had been a long time since they’d seen each other and obviously something had happened. 

 

“Skye, I -” Phil looked over Darcy’s head at the young woman and she smiled, the expression one of sad wistfulness as she shook her head and holstered her weapon. 

 

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of things.” She promised, turning on her heel and striding down the hall. Phil felt his chest seize for a moment before he tugged the young woman in his arms deeper into his rooms, closing the door behind them, her phone and bag still on the floor in the hall. 

 

“Darcy.” He pulled away from her, his hands on her shoulders so he could look at her face and she shook her head, tears still falling. 

 

“I just, I didn’t know where else to go. I know you probably didn’t want me here,” she started.

 

“I didn’t want to put you in danger,” he broke in, trying to explain and not finding words to really tell her anything about the last few years.

 

“I work with Jane and am best friends with Thor. I’m always in danger.” She reminded him with an incredulous laugh. 

 

“I forgot about you. For months. And then I didn’t know how to tell you.” He admitted after they’d stared silently at each other for a few long, strained minutes. 

 

“What?” Her eyes went wide and she backed up a step, unable to process his words properly. 

 

“When I died,” he stopped and licked his lips at the pain in her face. At the pain in his chest. “When I died,” he repeated, this time his hands going to the buttons on his shirt and slowly undoing them. “I forgot a lot of things. They had to make me forget I died, and to wipe that they wiped other things as well and I didn’t remember at first, I couldn’t remember your words, or your voice, or your lips. I just kept finding myself rereading the reports from New Mexico, and then went to London for cleanup and I saw you,” his shirt was fully unbuttoned, the scar a vicious reminder of everything he’d rather forget. 

 

“I know, I saw you, too.” She told him, taking a step forward and looking at her words, at the scar. Her fingers lifted to trace them before she laid her palm flat over his heart and closed her eyes, feeling his heartbeat pounding steady. It was speeding up. She opened her eyes and looked up at the calm facade of the agent in front of her. 

 

“I’m sorry,” he told her, swallowing heavily, his jaw clenched. 

 

“Tony doesn’t want to admit he’s wrong, I don’t know where Steve went, and I can’t put Clint’s family in danger. I couldn’t wait for you to come rescue me when Hydra finally caught up.” Darcy told him, her hand still on his chest. 

 

“You found me.” A faint smile tipped the corners of Phil’s mouth up. 

 

“You remembered me in London?” Darcy asked. 

 

“You were bossing around my agents.” He informed her with a grin. “Again.” 

 

“That’s because I knew what I was doing and they didn’t.” She replied, a grin starting to spread across her own lips. 

 

“You were with Agent Boothby,” Phil reminded her. 

 

“I was lonely, I just wanted someone to remind me that I was alive. It couldn’t have lasted long anyway.” Darcy offered, her voice now tinged with sadness. 

 

“I had him reassigned to Greenland.” The man admitted, Darcy laughed out loud, her head tipping back as she looked up at him. 

 

“Who helped you remember you’re still alive?” The woman asked, her face growing serious again. 

 

“I have my team,” he told her, eyes going up to the ceiling as he considered what could have been and what he hadn’t even considered. He looked down as he felt lips press a gentle kiss over the scar on his chest. 

 

“I missed you more than I think I realized.” Darcy told him, fingers tracing up and down the scar as she looked up at the Agent. 

 

They hadn’t been together often. Darcy had her work with Dr. Foster and he had his work with SHIELD. Their orbits only aligned so often, and when they did it was usually dinner and talking. Only twice had it been physical, but there was a need now. A need for something more than either could properly explain. Safety and forgiveness and touch and release. 

 

It was like a sudden explosion, Phil’s mouth was on Darcy’s and he was backing her up to the wall as she was shoving his shirt off his shoulders, teeth and lips mashing together in a kiss which was all desperation and need. Darcy’s shirt was flung across the room, her denim clad hips pressed between Phil’s and the wall as his hands roved across her torso and hers buried themselves in his hair. 

 

They ended up naked on the floor, Darcy’s hair spread across the carpet as she drew lazy circles across Phil’s back where he was collapsed half across her, his head pillowed on her chest as they tried to ignore the knocking that was slowly becoming more insistent. 

 

“AC? The phone out here keeps ringing and I answered it and, well, they would like to talk to Lewis?” Skye’s voice sounded apologetic and Phil huffed out a sigh as Darcy moved to get up, shoving him off of her. 

 

“Who knew you were coming?” Phil asked her as he pulled on his pants, watching Darcy wrap a blanket around herself instead of bothering to get dressed. 

 

“I didn’t actually tell anyone where I was going, but Maria probably figured it out.” The brunette shrugged, not bothering to fix her hair as she opened the door and held out a hand. Skye dropped the phone into her fingers and then held up the backpack which had obviously seen better days as Darcy turned and walked to the couch, collapsing into the cushions. 

 

“Who was on the phone?” Phil asked Skye as he took the bag and pretended not to notice the wide eyes of his friend as she took in the state of the room. 

 

“Agent Romanov.” Phil’s eyebrows raised and he turned back to Darcy as she was promised she was fine and would check in later. 

 

“I adopted your assassins. They were lonely.” Darcy shrugged, grinning up at the man as Coulson blinked once and then again. 

 

“Right, um, we’ll do proper introductions later, but I’m Skye and I will be going.” Skye gave her a half hearted salute and then gave Phil a not at all inconspicuous thumbs up which had Darcy laughing as the man took a seat beside her on the couch. 

 

“They were lonely?” Phil asked curiously as she slid sideways to lean against his shoulder. 

 

“All of you SHIELD Agents are lonely. It’s why I keep you.” She offered, looking up at him again. 

 

“I’m glad you found me.” He offered, slipping an arm around her shoulders. 

 

“Yeah, we’ll get to me being mad and sad and a lot of other things later, right now I’m too tired.” She let him know, her hand lifting to rest on the scar splitting his chest. She was glad she’d decided to find him, too.


	53. Bad Blood by Alison Mosshart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to Renegade (chapter 45)

She was a professional. She had fought hard to earn the respect of the Avengers and everyone else who worked at the facility, and had earned her place. Sure, she had the “light” job of heading the social media accounts of the Avengers Team members and as a group, though she had a team to help her. It fell under PR, and she was very good at getting public perception on their side, no matter what kind of crazy shenanigans people were up to. Sometimes it was with pictures of Thor’s biceps or Steve’s sweat soaked t-shirt, other times it was a quick video of Natasha explaining trigger discipline to cosplayers at Comicon. 

It was an awesome job to have, and right in her wheelhouse. Far better than being the non-science science assistant to one of the most intelligent and capable women in the world. Jane now had an entire team of science minions at her beck and call, so she and Darcy were just friends now. Best friends. 

Darcy was quick witted, good in a crisis, and always ready with a tissue if you had maybe spent too long looking at videos of baby animals in need. She was tough, she was strong, she was capable. She had faced down media hounds with a bright smile and a spine of steel and didn’t even blink as she told them all no, they couldn’t have what they wanted. Darcy Lewis was a force of nature.

Except when she was alone in her bathroom staring at the neat block letters tracing across the ribs on her right side _I believe this belongs to you._ Dark lettering which had gone grey for a few days, but come back and never wavered since. Grey meant death, she knew that. The whole world knew that. When the letters had gone black again she assumed she hadn’t heard from Phil because he was too weak, maybe even comatose. After a while she assumed it was too dangerous. But days turned into weeks, and then months, and then years without word. Trying to get hold of him had been impossible, he was worse than Fury about secrecy. So she’d been left to stare at the words which were the only proof the person who was supposed to be hers was still alive. Still somewhere in the world. 

He wasn’t somewhere in the world, he was running SHIELD. He was with a team. He had communication with Maria and with people she worked with. He knew where to find her. He knew she was in the thick of things, he just didn’t care. 

Tears filled the young woman's eyes as she dug her fingers into her skin and scratched across the words, digging bloody furrows into her side. It didn’t distract from the pain in her heart and slipped to her knees, forehead resting on the cupboards as the tears fell down her cheeks. A quiet knock on her door went unanswered. 

Elsewhere Phil Coulson was also in a bathroom staring at his own naked torso, trying to remember hearing the words stamped across his chest, the last letter slightly deformed because of the scar. “Apparently it’s not the only thing.” A response. So he had said the words first, and Darcy Lewis … why could he only remember her as a mouthy girl he’d only seen once. He finished washing his face and, with one last tentative tracing of the letters, buttoned up his shirt once more. 

He turned and strode back into his office, flipping open the files he’d quietly requested. He would soon know everything about Darcy Lewis and could, hopefully, start to piece together why he had forgotten about her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MsDamia has run off to invade Florida for Pirate Mardi Gras (Gasparilla) and/or to take over as overlord not sure. - Tiziano


	54. Superhero by Tim McMorris (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How it all starts ... or something to that effect. Darcy and Jane demanded to be platonic soulmates. I went with it.

She’d always been the supporting character. Her best friends in High School had been the overly beautiful girls, she’d been the quirky best friend. She was the one who lost her virginity to a nobody in the chess club who then talked about her boobs for months to anyone who mentioned her name. She was the one who told people she didn’t want to go to Prom simply because no one had asked her and she didn’t want pity. She wasn’t a genius. She wasn’t a Helen of Troy. She was that perfectly ordinary somebody who managed to find herself surrounded by extraordinary people. 

He was always the main character, but not in a good way. He was that kid they made infomercials about, the one who was always getting bullied and picked on because he was too smart and not built like some sort of Greek god. His life was a tragedy, mostly. With great pain comes a great story though, right?

At a glance one would never think they belonged together, but it made sense. Always on the fringes, never quite good enough in their own eyes. Quick witted, sarcastic, full of pop culture references. Both of them had two soulmarks, both of them had dark hair and tragic backstories. Well, parentless upbringings. She had been raised by her grandparents. He’d been raised by his aunt. 

Darcy Lewis had met her first soulmate in New Mexico. Jane Foster’s “What are you doing in here?” had met her own “Trying not to burn.” and they had made an uneasy truce as Foster was straight and Darcy was only minorly heteroflexible. Heterolifemates was not uncommon, and the two got along rather well filling in the gaps with each other. It wasn’t easy, of course, but new relationships never were. Besides, Jane was still waiting on “What planet is this?” to show up. Someone who would hopefully share her love of the stars and sky. 

Then Thor appeared, larger than life and maybe a little bit crazy and loud enough to make her nervous. Sure, her trigger finger twitched and he went down like a humanoid sequoia, but safety first, boys and girls. Darcy seemed to be the first one to catch on about him being Jane’s other soulmate. Amidst Janey’s sudden need to break people out of hospitals (Darcy may have been party to that) and then breaking him into government facilities (Darcy may have been party to that as well), he’d figured it out, too. 

Freaky metal destructobots, more Asgardians (and Sif was a major BAMF, for serious), some uber family drama, a bit more shady government alphabet agency shenanigans, and then he was promising Jane he would be back for her. Three completely insane days that didn’t change just their lives, but the world as a whole. Because Thor? He was a fucking alien and Earth might well and truly be boned one day soon. 

Thor didn’t come back, though. Darcy and Jane left New Mexico (Darcy still didn’t get her iPod back and she was incredibly displeased) for a world tour. Japan, Antarctica, Alaska, Nebraska (don’t ask), Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, China, Egypt, Israel, Madagascar - it was awesome and beautiful and more than a little amazing. Darcy graduated and insisted she still be called an Intern since she wasn’t getting paid. Thankfully she had a trust fund of her own, when mixed with Jane’s it meant they only had to worry about major funding, not about food. 

While they were in Norway they got news that Thor was back. Not for long, and it was still family drama. This time, instead of just trying to destroy Thor and a small town in New Mexico, Loki was trying to take over the world starting with New York City. More aliens. Different aliens. So she and Jane went to New York, Jane putting on a brave face and pretending like it didn’t hurt to have not seen her soulmate. Other soulmate. 

Darcy had never believed in love at first sight before New Mexico. Thor and Jane, though? The real deal. It was crazy, completely insane and more than a little frightening. They got their readings (basically worthless without the scepter or machine) and went to England to study a new phenomenon and crash in Jane’s moms flat while Jane put herself back together and Darcy tried to protect her from the world and herself. Like with the date with the boring doctor. What was with Jane and doctors? Good move in case of zombie apocalypse, bad move if you ever wanted to see them. Well, maybe that was the attraction. Jane, herself, tended to spend more time in a lab than at home.

London was fun. They found portals, Darcy got her own intern, they found Erik (naked), Thor came back, Janey disappeared and freaked her the fuck out. Jane came back, Thor came with her, Erik kept stripping, and there were elves. Legit pointy eared space elves with white hair, red eyes, and skin more pale than her own. Legolas they were not. She was actually pretty disappointed, her expectations had been pretty high due to Tolkein and Orlando Bloom. Also, there was the whole almost getting dead thing that she mostly liked to gloss over.

Darcy kissed Ian, Jane slapped Thor. Twice. Thor left. Thor came back in a timely manner this time. Darcy’s suggestion of playing on his apparent masochism was ignored. There were Disney princess eyes, shiny gold locks, and another kiss. Jane melted, it was kind of adorable. Ian tried to put his arm around Darcy’s shoulder in the moment and she knocked it off and stepped away. One kiss in the spur of the moment and a quickie up against the wall did not make a romance. Also, she wasn’t entirely sure he wasn’t a SHIELD plant. 

London was good for a while, but Thor was asked to join in the good fight after Captain America went Hulk on SHIELD and they discovered Hydra was apparently still a thing. Also, Ian was not only a SHIELD plant, but also Hydra. She tazed him in the balls. Twice. Then she and Jane duct taped him up like a mummy and waited for Thor to get there. That was when shit started getting real. 

“I see you have things well in hand.” Thor announced as he walked through the doors to their flat, Tony mother fucking Stark behind him. 

“Duct tape, it fixes everything.” Darcy chimed in, grinning as she slowly spun around in her chair, feet dangling over the mummified creature who was once known as Ian the Intern’s Intern. 

“Can he breathe?” Tony asked. Darcy dropped one of her feet hard into the man’s diaphragm and a loud grunt and expelling of air came from him. 

“Yup. Probably not well, though.” She looked down her nose at the man that was glaring up at her from the floor. 

“Hey, be polite.” Jane kicked Ian in the thigh with her tiny foot and his glare switched to her. 

“My Lady Jane, Lady Darcy, I feel that it would be wise to relocate to a safer, more defensible location. That Ian was here, in our midst for so long, sits ill with me.” Thor informed them both, giving them his serious face. Jane’s face twisted into a mulish frown and Darcy decided to open her mouth before the arguments started.

“Where do you think said safe place would be?” She asked, ignoring Jane when the petite woman sent her a dirty look but kept silent. Jane wanted to argue, but despite her incredibly stubborn nature, she wasn’t all that great at it. Darcy, however, was a pro.

“My place.” Tony grinned at the two of them. It didn’t reach his eyes. 

“Your place?” Jane looked at him and then turned back to Thor. “His place?” She did not like the idea of being treated as the girlfriend. She was a scientist, a genius in her own right, and she would not take a backseat for anyone, even if she was in love with them.

“Will we get to keep doing our research there?” Darcy asked, lips pursed as she folded her arms under her breasts and then tucked them up a bit higher. His eyes zeroed in on her cleavage. Oh yeah, she had talent. Jane turned back to Darcy, watching the young woman who knew her so well. 

“Of course!” He may have actually been offended by the question, or was just really good at looking affronted. 

“Does Janey have to sign a contract with Stark Industries in order to further continue her research?” Darcy asked, eyebrows still raised. Stark’s eyes moved from her cleavage to the expectant look on her face and this time his smile reached his eyes. 

“She would be staying with the Avengers, who happen to be housed at my place.” He informed her, glancing at Jane, who nodded her head at Darcy, and then focusing back in on the young woman. 

“The Avengers happen to be backed by Stark Industries as well as the now, for the most part, defunct SHIELD. We’ve been dealing with governments for a while now and we don’t like loopholes.” Darcy informed him. 

“Loopholes are for lawyers, I just want to play science with someone that thinks it might be fun to rip holes in the universe and also happens to be on our side.” Stark shrugged. 

“And who’s side is ‘our side’ exactly?” The brunette’s eyes were narrowed as Tony stopped grinning. 

“Planet Earth. There is a whole lot of bad out there that we aren’t going to be able to ignore.” The man informed her. 

“There is good out there is well. You might even be part of that, tin man.” Darcy agreed after a moment of thought. “You guys take Ian, Jane and I will pack up.” Apparently it was time to migrate stateside once more.


	55. Rules of Beautiful by Jacob Whiteside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some Shieldshock fluff

“What are you doing?” 

“Drawing.”

“What are you drawing?”

“You.” 

She lifted the crisp, white sheets to cover her face and what she was sure was a disgustingly obvious blush. Why couldn’t she control her emotions like Natasha? 

Long fingers pulled the sheet away from her face and Darcy was left staring up into the bluest eyes she’d ever had the pleasure of gazing into. Steve’s eyebrows lifted and the corner of his mouth quirked up. Why he found her adorable she wasn’t sure, but she was damn glad it had happened. 

“Eventually you’re going to learn how to take a compliment.” He advised her. She mirrored his expression with a huff of laughter.

“Sure, about the time you figure out how to do the same, Rocky.” She retorted. 

“I am not wearing those shorts, I don’t care how shiny they are.” Steve replied, voice firm despite the pout that suddenly melted across Darcy’s face. 

“Why do you insist on hurting me like this?” She asked, big eyes sad as she stared up at him.

“I thought you preferred me naked anyhow?” Steve said, setting aside the sketchbook and stretching down beside her on top of the sheets. He didn’t use a blanket, didn’t get cold. Darcy didn’t care because he was basically a furnace and didn’t mind when she attached herself to him like a limpet while she slept. 

“Let freedom ring,” she murmured, fingers ghosting over the words scrawled in her own handwriting across his clavicle. Steve chuckled deep in his chest as he always did over the memory.

Darcy had been looking for tall, blond, and godly. Apparently phrasing the question like that made the person giving her directions send her to Steve, who didn’t lock doors. He’d just come out of the shower, a towel in his hands as he’d dried his hair, and naked as the day he’d been born. She’d stared for a moment as she sifted through the information she had on who was currently on base and who, other than Thor, the perfect specimen before her could possibly be, and then loudly declared “Hallelujah, let freedom ring!”

Steve had dropped his towel to his crotch in surprise, pretty blue eyes blinking at her for a moment, and then replied with a slight hitch to his voice, “You have me at a bit of a disadvantage, ma’am,” and her hand had gone to the spot just under her breasts where those exact words circled. She’d grinned, completely unrepentant, and sat down while informing him she would just wait for him to get dressed so they could get to know one another better.

That had been almost four months before. Now they were that couple who fell in immediately. Suddenly where you saw one, the other was sure to follow. It wasn’t planned, they were just drawn to each other. She held him after his nightmares, brushing blond hair off his forehead while he listened to her heart beat against his ear, his arms wrapped around her waist. He picked up the clothes she left scattered in a trail to the bathroom while she was in the shower. She made him funny shaped pancakes for dinner and bought him postcards from every place she visited. He listened to her fears and concerns, didn’t tell her they were silly, and they faced them together because she hated to be alone.

They weren’t perfect people, but they were perfect for each other. He worshipped her, like the flower following the sun. She loved him as she hadn’t realized she would ever be able to love anyone. 

“Hey Steve?” Darcy asked, her hand trailing from his shoulder to his neck and up to his ridiculously chiseled jaw, her thumb brushing his lower lip as his mouth split into a grin. 

“Hey Darcy?” He mimicked, smoothing her hair away from her face.

“I love you.” She told him, smiling contentedly. He stilled for a moment, the smile fading into a serious look as he pulled her face closer to his. She was perfect and he was all hers and he couldn’t think of anything else in the world he could want more.


	56. Enchanted by Taylor Swift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Darcy Meetcute

She was glued to Jane’s side through the night, she knew better than to move away. Jane couldn’t remember people’s names and would get sidetracked by other scientists instead of schmoozing with the people who could fund her science experiments. She whispered into Jane’s ear the names, titles, and positions of everyone that came to meet the Astrophysicist who had stopped being a laughingstock once her theories on the Einstein-Rosen Bridge were proven to be fact. Still not the best use of Darcy’s Political Science degree, but better than doodling inappropriate stick figures in the margins of SHIELD requisition forms she still sent out in an attempt to get an outdated iPod back. 

Darcy took half a step back as Jane smiled her thanks and turned back to the distinguished gentleman who had come up to greet her. The perk of the job was that at least she got to dress up when the went to the fancy award dinners and galas. Jane’s bronze satin gown was one that befitted the lady love of an Alien prince, not that the handsome blonde currently rocking a tuxedo across the room looked all that Alien. Darcy wore a navy blue dress that made her skin glow and eyes pop, because Jane might be knocking boots and all kinds of other things with Thor, but Darcy was still his Little Lightning Sister. She got to wear stupidly pretty dresses that made her curves killer and put her hair up instead of just popping on a knit hat. 

Dark blue eyes scanned the room, watching for who may want Jane’s attention next. Instead her eyes caught those of a man standing across the room, sipping from a champagne glass. His eyes didn’t rake down her body as others had, they locked on hers and he smiled slowly, finishing his drink and setting on the tray of a passing server. He nodded to her and then turned to someone asking for his attention. Her eyes moved back to him as the night continued. If he caught her gaze he smiled and she wondered if she preferred it when he looked back at her or when she got to watch him talking animatedly with those around him. 

“Darcy?” Jane asked quietly as the younger woman watched the man across the room. 

“What? Sorry, distracted.” The pale young woman smiled tightly, not embarrassed but a touch annoyed with herself. For all this was fun, it was also work. Work she was actually getting paid for these days.

“You’re fine, I was just wondering where your mind went off to. Usually I’m the one with my head in the stars.” Jane’s smile was crooked and her laugh definitely self deprecating. 

“Just being properly patriotic.” Darcy informed her with a wink, surprising Jane into more laughter. Darcy joined her, the two women curving together to have a moment to themselves, just the awkward scientist and shameless intern once more as Thor walked forward, smiling fondly at the two. 

“I believe it is past time that I ask my Lady Jane to dance,” Thor brushed a hand across the back of Darcy’s shoulder fondly and took Jane’s hand, leading her to the floor. Asgardian’s were as fond of dance as they were of booze and battle. 

The curvy brunette sighed wistfully as she watched her friends. Sure, she’d get a dance with Thor and then with Jane (because why not?) but it wasn’t the same thing at all. The way the Big Guy looked at Jane was relationship goals of the highest order. Their story was the stuff of legend. She was sure it would be even if they weren’t soulmates. Darcy’s parents certainly hadn’t looked at each other like that. They had liked each other well enough, had loved Darcy, but they hadn’t really loved each other. 

“May I have this dance?” Darcy turned, surprised, looking up into the bright blue eyes of Professor Berrington of Cambridge. He was an older gentleman who hadn’t once dipped his eyes below her own while speaking with her. 

“I think I can make room on my dance card,” She agreed, letting him lead her out onto the dance floor. After small talk with the professor she got her dance with Thor and then with Jane and then an undergrad who’d come along as someone’s lackey. She danced until her feet hurt because she chose shoes on how pretty they were instead of going for comfort like Jane. 

“Could I have the next dance?” A pleasant and slightly nervous voice came from behind her. The words made her heart stutter, but she’d heard them many times in her life. She firmly commanded the butterflies in her tummy to settle the hell down and they ignored her completely as she turned and her dark blues met his bright. She blinked up at him once, twice and then remembered to use her words. 

“You can have all of them.” She told him. Not the words she had meant to say at all, but she could roll with it. Maybe. Or perhaps the ground could open up and swallow her whole. As the silence between them grew she cleared her throat and winced. “Sorry, I mean, we could -”

“I’m Steve.” He interrupted, holding out a hand to her. She took it, giving it a firm shake and then remembering she had a name as well. 

“Darcy.” Pale hands reached up to tug on a long curl only to grasp at air, her dark locks having been swept up and commanded to stay put by a very strict hair stylist equipped with an awful lot of bobby pins and product. 

“Do you want to sit?” “I need to get air,” The spoke over the top of each other and then locked nervous eyes before they both started to laugh. 

“How about we sit on the balcony?” Steve asked, holding out an elbow. Darcy blinked once and tucked her arm through his and let him lead her through the thinning crowds out to the balcony. He opened the balcony door and shut it behind them, moving to take the seat beside Darcy’s. 

“Thanks for saving the world.” Darcy told him after a moment of awkward silence. Steve cocked up an eyebrow, his mouth caught somewhere between a grimace and a grin. 

“You’re welcome?” There was definitely a question mark there and Darcy cocked her head to the side as she watched him more closely. She didn’t spend time with the Avengers, Jane was her own autonomous being away from Thor and she did damn important work and needed her own space. Darcy firmly applauded and encouraged this girl power and after explaining Girl Power, feminism, and glass ceilings to Thor he was quite vocal about how important it was for Jane to have her own space and life and job. Still, Thor told them stories of his comrades and she had a television. 

“I panicked in the moment. Couldn’t think of anything else to say.” She admitted, shrugging as she bent forward to slip her fancy heels off. 

“To be fair I’m not sure what to say now. The only thing I’ve got going for me at the moment is that I finally learned how to dance.” He huffed out a laugh and shook his head and Darcy found herself charmed. She’d always been a sucker for self deprecation, it was part of what made her love Jane so very much. 

“Well, I at least have a clever anecdote about how I tazed Thor once, completely knocked him out. Of course that also makes me sound like a super villain without proper context so now I’m rethinking the whole clever part.” Darcy replied, surprising a laugh out of the man beside her. 

“The Lightning Sister. I had a feeling that was you when I saw you with Jane. He talks about the two of you a lot.” Steve told her, shoulders slowly relaxing. She hadn’t realized how nervous he really was until that moment. 

“Is that why you came to talk to me?” She asked, honestly curious as she looked up through thick, dark lashes. 

“No, I,” He cut himself off, clasping his hands in front of him and focusing on them for a moment before turning his gaze back to the woman. “I saw you on the floor and for a moment I thought I knew you, but I knew we’d never met. I guess I was curious.” He told her, shrugging one impressive shoulder. 

“I’ve heard worse reasons to ask a girl for a dance.” She offered. 

“Last time I asked a girl for a dance it didn’t end up half so well.” He replied, wrinkling his nose and shaking his head as though he wasn’t sure why he’d said it. “Sorry.” He was tensing back up again.

“Don’t be.” She grinned over at him and his worried expression relaxed a touch. 

“Too late.” His mouth twitched up in one corner as he darted a look at her from the corner of his eye. Darcy raised her eyebrows. 

“Sassy. I like it.” She declared, smiling at him. 

“I don’t think anyone’s ever called me sassy before.” He told her with a laugh. 

“Stick with me, kid, I will call you all kinds of things no one else has.” She tossed him a wink and he laughed again, louder this time.

“I work with Tony Stark,” He reminded her. Darcy gave him an affronted look.

“Is that a challenge I hear?” She asked, “I am Darcy Lewis and I will have you know that I am very good at creating verbiage. I learned at the Church of Whedon how to slaughter the English language. Trust me, Tin Man’s got nothing on this Millennial.” 

“I only understood about half of what you are talking about.” Steve admitted. 

“That gives me an unfair advantage I plan to fully utilize against you.” Darcy replied, smiling sweetly. 

“I mean, I can’t really hold that against you since I’m pretty sure we are soulmates.” Steve admitted. Darcy stopped smiling to stare at him with wide eyes until Steve dropped his smile. “I mean … those were my words?” He pulled his sleeve back to look at the words that had darkened from gray to black, showing that he’d met his soulmate. Darcy’s blue eyes recognizes her own loopy scrawl and then scrambled to pull up her skirt enough to see her thigh. 

There, just above her thigh highs, her words had turned black. She moved her gaze up to Steve but he was blushing as he stared, wide eyed, at his own neat script inked across her pale flesh, the word dance bisected by a black garter. 

“Well, that happened.” She said as she dropped her skirt, looking surprised. 

“You didn’t realize?” He laughed, despite himself. 

“I mean, I’ve heard it a few times.” She shrugged self consciously. 

“That’s fair. I am not always memorable.” He shrugged back, just as self conscious, and Darcy’s expression turned incredulous. 

“Shut your face. You are incredibly memorable.” She informed him, surprisingly fierce. 

“If my face can be opened and shut there is a bigger problem at hand.” Steve shot back.

“No one ever talks about you being a smartass.” The woman noted. 

“They talk about what a nice ass I have. It’s apparently better than Tony’s and he doesn’t like it. Still not as good as Thor’s though.” Steve shrugged. “Can’t win them all.” 

“To be fair, he’s a literal god.” Darcy laughed. 

“Do you want to maybe get out of here? Go get a burger or something?” He asked suddenly. 

“It’s almost midnight.” Darcy laughed. 

“I know a great greasy spoon. We can watch the sun rise.” He offered. 

“Sun rise? Someone’s feeling confident.” Darcy said as she stood up, scooping up her shoes and lifting her skirt a couple inches so she could walk. 

“I’m sure we can find something to do.” He grinned and took her hand, pulling her to the door as she let loose with delighted laughter.


End file.
